Roads in Ram Darbar. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh & Jasbir Malhi)

PUBLIC OUTRAGE erupted against Mayor Raj Bala Malik’s statement with city residents posting over 200 pictures and videos of bad roads on social media, asking the mayor to just look out of the window and see how they commute on these rutted roads every day. On Monday, Mayor Malik, while reacting to a query on bad roads, had said, “Mere ko to abhi tak koi aisi sadak nahi mili.aap batao kahan hai.” Á day later, enraged city residents started an online campaign on social media urging people to “show Mayor the roads of the city”.

Paveela Bali, an activist, posted on her WhatsApp status, asking people to send pictures and tell the mayor about the potholed roads they suffer every day. She was flooded with 300 messages and over 100 pictures, videos and locations.

Various residents’ welfare associations also posted hundreds of pictures with locations on their respective social media groups. There was not a single sector or colony which can boast a smooth network of roads, they collectively declared. This is for the first time that there has been such a massive public outrage against the condition of roads in a city that once prided itself on its silky roads.

A Twitter page called Clean Chandigarh tagged Mayor Raj Bala Malik and posted, “Madam Mayor finds no broken road in #Chandigarh, so let’s send her some photos, come on people get your shutterbugs out, send your photos to her.”

The Industrial Area, Phase I, roads fare no better. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh & Jasbir Malhi)

The Twitterati reacted swiftly with comments such as “Saffron sunglasses are notorious for making people blind and deaf,” “Reality check required”, “Lol what a joke … all roads have big pits”.

Some of the more vitriolic comments even cast aspersions on Malik’s mental health. “Sector 18 opposite Shiv Mishthaan, the road is awful”, “One of these can fit in the mayor’s ### #### also.. I feel so bad for our city”, “Roads are really bad..It’s shameful in a city like Chandigarh..They all are shameless (sic).”

Another message stated, “Kindly send her pictures of the road next to St. Kabir school coming from Panchkula towards the CGA…it is in such a dilapidated condition (sic).”

“Despicable! Behind Sec 7, Madhya Marg, the restaurant lane..Social ,Cottage etc (sic).”

One of the Twitter users quipped, “Wow that’s called ignorance.” With pictures of a road at Khuda Ali Sher, a Twitter user posted, “What is this then, in Khuda Ali Sher @Raj Bala Malik. This road needs urgent reconstruction.”

“Congress ka hangover lagta hai abhi over nahi hua kya.roads are in pathetic condition and her statement is completely false and foolish,” said another.

A Sub-Inspector of traffic police also posted, “The whole city is of bad roads.right now I am at Jalandhar (sic).”

Another resident lamented, “Chandigarh has gone to pits, it was never like that.”

There were also memes aplenty, linking the roads to a scene from Sholay to suggesting solutions such as planting flowers in the potholes.

At a press conference on Monday on the ease of living survey that gauges the quality of life in a city, a journalist had asked Malik about the poor condition of the city roads. Malik initially tried to ignore the question but when questioned again, had quipped, “Mere ko to abhi tak koi aisi sadak nahi mili.aap batao kahan hai. Hum karenge fir (I have not found any such road till now.you tell me where it is and we will get it repaired then).”