A potholed road in Sector 14, Panchkula. (Express Photo: Jaipal Singh)
The repair and re-carpeting work of roads in Panchkula began with the Sector 1 road that leads to the Secretariat. On Friday, the tenders were given out and the bitumen was laid.
The roads have been lined with potholes and have caused many problems for commuters.
“We are looking for the right weather to begin the work full scale. The bitumen does not do well in weather this cold,” said MC Commissioner, Sumedha Kataria.
Referring to her resolve of making city roads better, Kataria said, “Give me a month and a half and I will fill all 845 potholes of the district by March 31. I have done my mapping and review work. We are even passing one tender that will look into the small repairs needed in the city only. Why should even one railing, one tube-light or one brick remain broken? We are in the process of making a system where nobody will have to come to the office with grievances, they will be taken care of beforehand only.”
Meanwhile, even as residents appreciated the new commissioner’s way of operating, many pointed out the civic body’s disregard towards the life of people by highlighting that no temporary measures, like filling potholes with sand, were taken to provide interim relief to the commuters.
Colonel KS Purewal (70), a resident of Sector 4 of Panchkula, and a frequent visitor to the Chandigarh Golf club complained, “There are several patches of road on my way that are heavily broken. Even though I have picked up on the pattern of potholes, there are sometimes that I cannot avoid plunging into them. Those are the times I grind my teeth and hold my breath for I am an old man and such roads are very dangerous. The Chandigarh MC at least fills them up with sand or finds some other temporary relief, but the Panchkula MC does not seem to care.”
The dividing road of Sector 1 and Sector 2, on which the repair work started today had been repaired in October, right before elections. The road acts as an important connection between the city and trans-Ghaggar sectors besides being the preferred road that leads to the mini-secretariat of Panchkula.
The residents also raised questions on the kind of work done in October. “Such clamor is created each time the roads have to be re-done but in the end, nothing is done. What is done corrodes in a matter of weeks if not days. How is it that the roads repaired not even four months back are in tatters? Such contractors must be investigated as well as blacklisted for the shoddy work they have done. The residents of Panchkula deserve better”, said President of Citizens Welfare Association, S K Nayar.
Reportedly, the MLA and Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker had too held a meeting last week, asking the MC to begin the work of road repair as soon as possible.