Panchkula roads in bad condition, rain aggravates residents’ ordeal

It has been exactly two years and six months since Panchkula roads were re-carpeted. With rain eroding the little bitumen that was left, the condition of many roads has gone from bad to worse. This is true even of the road close to the DC office and Panchkula courts from Charkha Chowk to Majri Chowk, which witnesses VIP traffic every day. The less said the better of the road that connects the trans-Ghaggar sectors to other sectors of the city.

“This is where true equality can be spotted. Even the officials go through the same ordeal as us,” jokes a clerk at the secretariat.

The two essential cuts on the road, first to the secretariat and the other to Sector 2, home to many retired Army officers and the office of the BJP and other political parties, are full of potholes guaranteed to give the daily commuter a backache besides playing havoc with the suspension of his vehicle.

Manoj, a driver of one of the officials who work at the secretariat, complains, “These potholes act like the natural speed breakers. We have to use that route at least 10 times a day if not more and almost always in a hurry. These potholes are frustrating. They also cause all traffic to slow down here which leads to further delay. The road was in a better condition before rainfall, it has become a hell now.”

The residents of the city, who have been waiting in vain for a repair for the last two years, are at their wits’ end. “It is very unfortunate and sorry state of affairs that the road at the Sector 14 market (facing Sector 15) lies broken.” They point out that the MC office too is situated in the same sector but the condition of the roads continues to deteriorate. “The entire parking place at Sector 14 market has a large number of potholes, many more than 1 to 1½ foot deep and 10-15 foot wide. In most of the area the vehicles cannot be driven freely for even more than 10 feet. Both the exit and entry points of the market have a number of pits. The entire parking area in front of the showrooms is drastically damaged and needs immediate repair. Come rains and the situation turns grim. Cars get stuck and damaged. The matter has already been brought to the notice of MC many times but to no avail,” says S K Nayar, president of Citizens Welfare Association, Panchkula.

Although MC Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal had claimed in an interview to Chandigarh Newsline that the work on roads would begin soon after the monsoons end, no tender has been floated as yet.

In 2017 too, the condition of roads in Panchkula city had come to such a pass that a youth had slipped into coma after an accident near Amartex Chowk due to these potholes.

After this incident, Youth4Swaraj (Y4S) had started a campaign to highlight the potholes with lime powder (chuna).They also ran an online campaign in which citizens were asked to spot the biggest pothole in Panchkula city and send a photograph. The campaign saw success and the administration sprang into action.

Harshit, president of District Youth for Swaraj, says, “Now after two years, the roads have again started to wear and tear. This clearly shows that sub-standard material is being used.’’

The organisation demands that the matter be looked into and the road repair work should begin again. Harshit said if the authorities don’t act soon, the organisation will start a protest outside the MC’s and MLA’s office in the coming week.