Monsoon round the corner, Jalandhar MC yet to revamp major roads

Avneet Kaur

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Jalandhar, June 23

Even as the monsoon is round the corner, the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation seems to have failed to do the needful. A majority of the roads in the city are in a pitiable condition and a light shower is enough to turn them into a virtual lake.

We have a budget of nearly Rs15 cr approved for repairs and construction of roads. Work amounting to Rs1.80 crore is still going on in the city on various roads. We have repaired one side of the BSF-PAP road, Patel Chowk road and other streets and intend to complete the rest within a month or two. — Jagdish Raja, Mayor

Resentment is brewing among city residents against the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities concerned who have failed to recarpet or repair roads on time. Residents say that it is a nightmarish experience to pass potholed roads, especially in the night. Besides, on a rainy day, they get hidden under dirty water. These hidden potholes have led to many road accidents in the past. Some roads are scattered with small pebbles or silt.

The roads which are in bad shape are: Railway station road to Damoria Flyover, Guru Nanak Pura Road, 66 Feet Road in front of Curo Mall, Ladowali Road (from Alaska Chowk to Madan Flour Mill Chowk) and even some patches or places on the Pathankot bypass and the GT Road.

Commuters complain that only patchwork is being carried out to fill potholes and repair broken stretches, which does not last beyond a month due to the poor quality of work and lack of proper supervision. They say despite raising the issue, the officials concerned hardly pay heed to damaged roads, posing a serious threat to their lives.

“The government seems to be more interested in issuing challans, rather than spare a thought for the safety and convenience of people. If you don’t wear a helmet, you will be challaned. But what if the person is wearing a helmet and following all the rules and still meets with an accident due to the bad condition of roads. Will the government give compensation or pay hospital bills of the injured person,” asks Sunita Sachdeva, a resident of Punjabi Bagh, adding that the civic body should keep a count of poor roads and repair them on priority.

“At many times, vehicles get stuck on broken roads. Potholes add to the woes of commuters. People riding two-wheelers were injured on bad roads in the past. On a rainy day, rainwater gets accumulated for a long time. There is no use lodging a complaint with the MC as we know nothing would be done,” said Manoj, a shopkeeper at Alaska Chowk.

HS Narula, a resident, said if the government does not carry out development works on time, it has no right to collect development tax from us. “Patchwork on the 66 Feet Road near Curo Mall had been done twice or thrice last year, but it hardly lasted a month or two,” he added.

When contacted, Mayor Jagdish Raja said in the month of January the MC had chalked out a plan to repair almost all the broken roads in the city and even began work at some stretches in the same month, however, the Covid-19-induced lockdown played a spoilsport.

Roads crying for attention

The roads which are in bad shape are: Railway station road to Damoria Flyover, Guru Nanak Pura Road, 66 Feet Road in front of Curo Mall, Ladowali Road (from Alaska Chowk to Madan Flour Mill Chowk) and even some patches or places on the Pathankot bypass and the GT Road.