Gaping holes on flyover threat to motorists

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, July 21

Though controversy pertaining to poor quality material used on the newly constructed PAP flyover is yet to settle down completely, reports of laxity on the part of the authorities concerned to repair the Pathankot bypass flyover on the Amritsar-Jalandhar highway have generated more heat on the issue.

As per reports, the gaping holes on both sides of the highway appeared last year in monsoon while till date no action has been taken to repair it permanently.

Though the local authorities covered the hole with mud, the downpour that lashed the city on Friday swept away the mud. As a result the hole is lying open, posing threat to thousands of commuters.

The deterioration, appearing on both sides of the flyover, has put a serious question mark not only over the quality of construction but also on the laxity on the part of the authorities which failed to get it repaired even after one year.

Pankaj Mehta, a resident of Urban Estate Phase I, who complained about the holes, said: “Commuters like me are regular users of this highway and such holes invite accidents. “The concrete chunk has completely disappeared from the road and a 6-7 ft hole is clearly visible. I was lucky to manoeuvre my car at the right time otherwise I would have met with a fatal accident.”

“The thickness of the flyover is even thinner than the roof of a normal building. The construction company and supervising official of the NHAI should take responsibility for the low quality of construction and they should be punished for putting the lives of commuters at risk,” he added.

“The damage to flyovers occurring again and again clearly indicates that poor quality material is being used in construction works. The public is paying toll tax and it’s the duty of the government to ensure commuters’ safety by maintaining national highways and repairing faults at the earliest,” said Hardik, a resident of Jalandhar Heights.

MC Commissioner Diprava Lakra said the repair work had to be carried out by the NHAI and it did not come under his jurisdiction.

He said the mud put by the local authorities was to ensure the safety of commuters. However, permanent repair had to be done by the NHAI. Meanwhile, Project Director of the flyover Vishal Gautam could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Not repaired for past one year

Though the local authorities covered the holes on the Pathankot bypass flyover with mud, the downpour that lashed the city on Friday swept away the mud. As a result the hole is lying open, posing threat to thousands of commuters. The deterioration, appearing on both sides of the flyover, has put a serious question mark not only over the quality of construction but also on the laxity on part of the authorities which failed to get it repaired even after one year.