RMC caught off-guard as roads take turn for worse

ROURKELA: Early arrival of monsoon has exposed the lack of preparedness of Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) as the roads dug up for laying underground cables have turned from bad to worse after the recent rains.Majority of the roads in the city are in a pitiable condition due to cable ducting work being executed under Rourkela Smart City project and underground sewerage system of Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage Board (OWSSB). With the onset of monsoon, condition of the pothole-ridden and dug-up roads has worsened, making the life of residents miserable.

A case in point is the congested stretch of road from Bisra Square to Uditnagar. After completion of underground sewerage work, cable ducting is being done on the road which is replete with craters and potholes. Similarly, the internal Orampada-Indo English School road has suffered considerable damage after completion of sewerage work. 

These apart, internal roads of posh Civil Township, Chhend Colony, Basanti Colony and Koelnagar too are in a pathetic condition. Authorities of Rourkela Smart City Ltd (RSCL) said as many as 22 roads have been taken up for underground cable ducting and rehabilitation under Smart City Phase-II project. Work has started only on nine-km stretch in the city as OWSSB is yet to hand over the remaining roads to RSCL. 

Besides, the recently started drain de-silting work was stopped following the rains for the last three days. Former chairman of the erstwhile Rourkela Municipality and Rourkela Bar Association president Ramesh Chandra Bal said de-silting of drains in the city should have been completed by April or May. Stinking silt deposits extracted from drains have been dumped along the busy Rourkela main road causing major inconvenience to commuters, he added.RMC deputy commissioner Sudhanshu Bhoi said instructions will be issued for immediate backfilling of damaged roads once the rains stop. He assured that the drain cleaning work in the city would be completed soon.