The city roads continue to be riddled with potholes despite assurances by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and expiry of two deadlines for fixing the roads.

Commuters say that besides increasing their travel time, the potholes have become a safety hazard as well, mainly at Subhash Chowk, Vikas Marg and Jharsa road, which are the worst pothole-riddled stretches in the city.

Since September, the civic body has made an announcement on three occasions that potholes on arterial roads would be repaired and also set deadlines for the task on two of these occasions.

The latest deadline of October 15, extended from October 9, has failed to see the authorities fix the issue.

Even reassurances by officials that the matter is being looked into — with the engineering wing having been directed on October 18 to carry out a drive in MCG’s 35 wards and submit a report on potholes by the evening — has failed to assuage concerns of people.

MCG officials said that they are facing a constant battle in fixing potholed roads.

“Since work against potholes is an ongoing process, we are presently not operating under any deadline. Following the expiry of the two deadlines, we have formed teams in each ward to identify potholes in the area and fix them,” said ND Vashisht, chief engineer of the MCG.

Subhash Chowk

The roads, both main and arterial, leading from Bakhtawar Chowk to Subhash Chowk are riddled with potholes.

Compounded with the problem of poor drainage, with regards to water backflow from the Badshahpur drain due to its narrow width at Khandsa village, there is severe waterlogging, with both pedestrians and vehicles not being able to spot potholes, which at certain points are more than two feet deep.

Also, officials of the city face problems in commuting as the flyover at the junction leads to the MCG’s main office in Sector 34.

“I have completely stopped using this route as potholes, especially on the service lanes, have made driving hazardous. Twice during the monsoon, my vehicle got stuck in the potholes as I was not able to spot them. It was only with the help of bystanders that I was able to get my vehicle out,” said Anand Rungta, a resident of Sector 47.

Vikas Marg

The road leading from Bakhtawar Chowk towards Good Earth Mall, Vikas Marg, is also riddled with potholes. There have been several instances wherein vehicles have broken down on the stretch.

Those familiar with the stretch limit themselves to using the central and right lanes of the three-lane carriageway as the left lane is riddled with potholes.

“The stretch has, more or less, remained the same for the last three years. It is common knowledge in the area that at least one vehicle will break down on the road fortnightly. As a citizen, I am paying the necessary dues to the MCG but the effect on the ground remains to be seen,” said Harshit Kumar, a resident of Nirvana Country.

Jharsa Road

Commuters breezing along the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway who take a left onto the Jharsa Road at exit number 9 face a reality check immediately, as the stretch has a series of potholes, each of which is deep enough to cause damage to the floor of a car.

The two-lane narrow and heavily congested road is used by many as there is a high concentration of residential areas on one side and markets on the other.

It is also a stretch that has a large confluence of urban and rural demography, with several upscale condominiums and independent houses located amid scattered rural houses.

One of the main problems is that the road has been found to be of a poor quality poor on several occasions, due to which potholes have become a common phenomenon.

In August 2017, the road had to be cordoned off for a nearly a week, as a combination of a sewer line burst and potholes led to a 30-metre stretch of the road to cave in.

Since then, residents remain uncertain of the road’s quality.

“The road is repaired biannually — once before and once after the monsoon. However, within a span of three to four weeks, the roads get riddled with potholes again. Instead of simply filling the potholes as a short-term solution, the MCG needs to relay the entire stretch,” said Mukesh Kumar, a resident of Sector 37.

First Published: Nov 12, 2018 11:09 IST