Fill potholes to save commuters from a bumpy ride

Open House: How should the civic body maintain roads during monsoon?

Repair bad roads first

The MC should first repair roads in worst condition as there are still few days for the monsoon to arrive. This work should be done quickly. After the monsoon ends, the MC should repair left out roads that are not in bad condition.

Vasundhara Chaudhary, Mohali

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Undertake repairs of selective stretches

It is understandable that due to the Covid-19 pandemic and shortage of labourers recarpeting of roads could not be completed. Now is the time not to act strategically, but tactically. Road recarpeting should not be undertaken during the monsoon as the money spent will go waste. However, on selective basis where road condition is bad, recarpeting may be carried out.

Hony Fg Offr BS Dhillon (retd), Mohali

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Work only on sunny days

The repair of roads has been delayed. It has put commuters to risk especially during night and rainy days. Damaged roads lead to jams, air pollution and adversely affect the life of vehicles. As such, the MCC should do repair work on sunny days. A senior officer must check the quality and volume of work done every day.

KC Rana, Chandigarh

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Form panel to check repair work

Heavy rains in the first week of June last year did not teach any lessons to the MC. The MC has no pumps to clear waterlogged roads. The callous approach of the engineering staff multiplies the plight of residents. Contract works awarded for upkeep of facilities during monsoons are given to companies not competent to do the job. The UT Administrator and should form a high-level committee to keep a check on waterlogging and road repairs/recarpeting.

Rajiv Boolchand Jain, Zirakpur

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Rainwater will damage surface

There is no denying the fact that many roads are crying for repairs. Any effort to carry out road carpeting in a hurry will waste money and efforts as the monsoon will arrive any moment. All roads in the UT are constructed with bitumen. Rainwater is the worst enemy of bitumen as it will rip open repaired surfaces. Wisdom, therefore, lies in carrying out carpeting work after the monsoon is over. Till then, we have to bear with the present roads.

SC Luthra, Chandigarh

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If not repaired, roads will erode further

Roads are lifelines and these must be maintained. It will be wise for the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh (MCC) to carry out road repair work even during the monsoon. Already damaged roads would further erode and pose a problem to commuters. Big potholes on roads when filled with rainwater can cause serious road accidents. Badly damaged roads should be repaired first.

Capt Amar Jeet Kumar (Retd), Mohali

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Carry out task with proper planning

Repairing/re-carpeting of roads in Chandigarh should be started at the earliest. Otherwise, deplorable conditions of roads will lead to accidents. Now, tasks are to be carried out by planning properly keeping in mind the effects of Covid-19 especially when Unlock phases are being implemented. Monsoon season generally gets prolonged till the September end. Till then the condition of roads will worsen. So, it is a wise move of the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh to start the road repair work. It will save precious lives in the City Beautiful.

Bir Devinder Singh Bedi, Chandigarh

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Night hours perfect for repair work

Kabir’s aphorism ‘Kal kre so aaj kr aaj kre so ab’ will be apt for this situation. Everything has to be done at present. Before the condition of roads in the UT worsens, repairs have to be carried out immediately. Potholes on roads get filled with rainwater during monsoon. It will spread diseases like malaria and dengue. Repair roads in the night as less people commute due to the pandemic during these hours.

Ankita Sharma, Chandigarh

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Follow Met Dept forecasts

There is logic in the practice of undertaking road repair/recarpeting work only before or after the rainy season. On the face of it, there seems no problem in accomplishing this work during a long, dry spell even during this season. But, defining this long is a moot point. Standard engineering practices envisage a dry surface underneath for proper bonding of tar-coarse material-mix itself as well as with existing surface. Liability for erosion causing pits leaves much to be desired as compromises during work are inevitable. Moreover, the exercise after monsoon will take care of damage due to rains and inundation. Unless the meteorological forecasts can ensure a week-long dry spell, the Municipal Corporation should defer major exercise till the monsoon gets over.

Lalit Bharadwaj, Panchkula

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A stitch in time saves nine

Chandigarh roads full of potholes require immediate attention as any further delay in repair will increase accidents. Bumpy roads can cause spinal injuries too. During the rainy season, commuters are unable to gauge potholes on roads filled with rainwater, which leads to accidents. Waterlogged roads trouble pedestrians too. Road should be repaired/recarpeted on time for the safety of masses.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali

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UT can’t wait for monsoon to get over

As we all know that the rainy season lasts longer in Chandigarh than any other northern city. So, the road repair work must go on in the UT. Our technology is getting better day by day. The UT Administration could note when the rain is going to stop for a longer period and carry out repair/recarpeting of roads in that duration.

Priyam Aggarwal, Chandigarh

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The sooner the better

With the monsoon fast approaching the Municipal Corporation (MC) should complete the repair/recarpeting of roads in the City Beautiful. Continue work and nothing must be left pending till the rainy season ends. The road repair work should be completed during dry spells. A little pothole on road can cause fatal accident. Human life is precious. The MC can work 24X7 during dry spells to finish road repair.

NPS Sohal, Chandigarh

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Use ‘A’ grade material in recarpeting

The road repair work has to be done even during the monsoon season. The main point is that the material used by contractors must be ‘A’ grade. This can be achieved only if civic body officials act tough and don’t compromise with material quality and quantity used in road repair/recarpeting. Senior officials must pay surprise visits at sites to check whether proper road carpeting is done as per the contract. Preferably, the Chandigarh MC should get cemented roads laid. Such roads can be used for longer duration without spending money every year on their maintenance.

MR Bhateja, Nayagaon

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Can wait for two more months

The Municipal Corporation Chandigarh remains in limelight throughout the year. It has never been able to finish any assigned work on time. Chandigarh roads are in bad condition. The government charges road tax from residents, who own vehicles. What do we get in return? Every time when the question of repair/recarpeting of roads crops up the answer is the MC is short of funds. Now Covid-19 has aggravated the situation. The MC has to make plans to recarpet roads.

Gurpreet S Malhotra, Chandigarh

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Ground below base should be dry

Though water is the life line of living things, it is the bane of civil constructions. Water seepage and moisture is the root cause of damage to civil engineering works, like houses, roads etc. Recarpeting of roads with already soaked base due to premonsoon showers will be detrimental and carpeting done over it may not hold. Therefore, it would be better to undertake recarpeting work after the monsoon is over and ground below the base has completely dried up. However, dangerous potholes should be filled for the safety of the commuters.

Dr Gurdev Singh, Mohali

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Find areas prone to waterlogging

At this juncture when monsoon is anticipated shortly, it would not be advisable to carry out work related to recarpeting of roads in the dry spell due to uncertainty about change of weather. Therefore, from the previous experience the MC staff should determine and spot the areas prone to quick waterlogging and clear sewer channels to maintain the proper flow of water. There is no harm in undertaking repair work wherever required during dry days of the season.

Surinder Paul Wadhwa, Mohali

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Fill potholes to save commuters

City roads are in bad condition. The ongoing monsoon has further increased problems of commuters. Potholes covered with rainwater are causing roads accidents. Commuters are unable to spot potholes, which leads to accidents. Recarpeting of roads should have done before monsoon. But the MC failed. Now, all potholes must be filled to save commuters and pedestrians.

Vidya Sagar Garg, Panchkula

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Driving on city roads is difficult

There’s no doubt that almost all streets and main roads in every sector of Chandigarh are teeming with potholes. People find it difficult to drive vehicles on city roads, which need urgent repairs. The Municipal Corporation should go ahead with recarpeting of roads if there are long dry spells in monsoons.

RK Kapoor, Chandigarh

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Appropriate time for work

Time is appropriate to repair roads to streamline traffic and make commuters ride risk free. Roads in the UT are full of potholes. The civic authorities of Chandigarh hardly have interest in getting roads repaired. At night it is risky to drive vehicles on broken roads. The Municipal Corporation Chandigarh should take steps to save lives of the people.

Anita Tandon, Kharar

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Only patchwork during monsoon

It is essential to maintain roads throughout the year. Potholes are fatal for motorists during monsoon. So roads have to be repaired. The Municipal Corporation (MC) should do the patch work on priority basis as carpeting of roads may not sustain during monsoon. It will be wastage of tax payers money. The MC should have utilised the Lockdown period for recarpeting roads as due to absence of vehicles, the work could have been hassle free.

Dr Shailja Beniwal, Chandigarh

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Provide more funds to MC

The MC should have recarpeted road in UT by now. Even patchwork has not been done, which has added to commuters’ problem causing a lot of inconvenience. Potholes appear on roads because of substandard repairs leading to more wear and tear of vehicles and poses risk to lives of motorists during rains. The Administration should provide sufficient funds to the MC for recarpeting roads and ensure defect liability period including maintenance. Inner roads should where volume of vehicular traffic is higher than service roads should be repaired first.

Col Balbir Singh Mathauda (Retd), Chandigarh

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A technically wrong move

Without going into details, we should understand that dry atmosphere is required for quality recarpeting of roads. The monsoon has already arrived. To start recarpeting of roads at this time is not advisable. Some roads are in bad shape and require immediate attention. The MC should select these stretches and do patch work so that such roads are temporarily motorable. The civic body should not start recarpeting as it may result in loss of material and money.

Bharat Bhushan Sharma, Chandigarh

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Make up for the lost man hours

The MC has to repair roads during monsoon so that we do not suffer like every year. Whatever man-hours lost during the Lockdown have to be made up now. Year after year monsoons have caused havoc as we do not adequately plan for it. The MC authorities have to take stock of sectors, which are prone to waterlogging, clean blocked drains and recarpet roads. Roads have to be repaired promptly so that people are harassed during rains.

Col RD Singh (retd), Ambala Cantt

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Lot of moisture in air is harmful

Road carpeting should not be carried out during monsoons as there is lot of moisture in the air. Cracks can appear on roads due to sudden rise in temperature after monsoons. However, cleaning of road gullies should continue even during monsoons. Bitumen carpeting can be done after monsoon for the structural safety of roads and to avoid hairline cracks.

Col TBS Bedi (Retd), Mohali

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Waterlogging can damage repair work

There is no doubt that the lockdown has delayed all work. No one can be fully sure when will it rain. If it rains, the whole repair work will get spoilt. Extra efforts will be required and more resources will be used for carrying out road repairs again. Waterlogging can also damage repaired road. Roads should be recarpeted only after the monsoon.

Saikrit Gulati, Chandigarh

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Effective planning needed

Recarpeting of roads during monsoon is not welcome. It would be wastage of money and material. Instead damaged and leaking drains should be repaired and road gullies, manholes and sewage lines be cleaned. Waterlogged and caved in roads and potholes are death traps for commuters and result in traffic snarls and accidents. Effective planning is needed to tide over crisis during the monsoon.

Charu Malhotra, Mohali

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City is not ready to face the monsoon

Rainy season comes and goes every year leaving city residents to suffer. City roads are already in bad condition. Recarpeting should be deferred till the end of monsoon. The authorities wake up from slumber only after untoward incident happens. Road gullies, manholes and sewage lines have to be cleaned before the onset of monsoon. The authorities have to plan effectively to face monsoon.

SK Khosla, Chandigarh

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QUESTION

With the monsoon arriving full throttle in the tricity, do you think the Municipal Corporation staff, already stretched to the limit during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, are equipped to handle various rain-related civic and health issues like waterlogging and water-borne diseases?

Suggestions in not more than 70 words can be sent to [email protected]