Rain leaves Jalandhar roads in shambles, commuters at risk

Amid unseasonal rain hampering repair work, commuters in Jalandhar are being forced to negotiate badly damaged roads, putting their safety at serious risk.

Several stretches have remained unattended for weeks with deep potholes, uneven surfaces and loose gravel turning daily travel into a risky ordeal. Instead of offering relief, ongoing patchwork is failing within days, exposing poor workmanship and leaving roads in a worse condition.

Some of the worst-hit stretches include railway road leading to Mandi Fentonganj, Ladowali road near the railway crossing, Green Model Town Road and parts of Kishanpura.

Adding to commuters’ woes, even recent repair work carried out by the Municipal Corporation is showing signs of failure. Cracks have already started appearing at several locations, pointing to poor quality work and inadequate monitoring. Cracks have developed on freshly patched stretches at Alaska Chowk and Ajit Saini Marg, raising serious concerns over the quality of work being done.

Commuters say they are bearing the brunt of both bad roads and poor planning.

Mohit Singh, a daily commuter from Model Town, said, “Every day feels like a challenge. You are constantly trying to avoid potholes and in the process, there is always a risk of hitting another vehicle. It is not only uncomfortable, but also dangerous.”

Another commuter, Harvinder Kaur said, “The road near the railway station has been in a terrible condition for many weeks. Two wheelers are at the highest risk of skidding. It feels like no one is regularly checking the condition of these roads. We pay taxes but still have to travel like this everyday,” she said.

Surinder Saini, a member of the District Road Safety Committee, said, "The Municipal Corporation should conduct a detailed survey to identify high-risk stretches that require immediate attention. There are several roads across the city that have become dangerous for commuters and need to be prioritised. At the same time, officials must closely monitor the quality of work being carried out on the ground to check poor execution and lack of accountability,” he said.

Meanwhile, officials attributed the worsening road conditions to ongoing rain. Rahul Dhawan, Superintending Engineer of the MC’s B&R branch (Jalandhar North and Central), said, “The road outside the railway station premises does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation. Additionally, due to the unseasonal rain, the bitumen used for patchwork is not holding properly, which is affecting the durability of repairs. As a temporary solution, we will carry out patchwork using tiles to ensure that the road remains motorable until proper repair can be undertaken.”

Rajneesh Dogra, Superintending Engineer (B&R) for Jalandhar West and Cantonment, said, “The hot mix plant is working as we have initiated the road repairs in March. However, over the past two to three days, it has been suspended due to continuous showers. Work in Model Town has already been taken up and we plan to resume repair as soon as the weather stabilises.”