Funds crunch, tendering delay hit city road repair

Ranchi: The dilapidated condition of roads, lanes and drains across the city is due to the lack of funds and a delay in issuing tender by the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC), the ward members said.
The ward councillor of Kadru Road, Arjun Ram, said, “We are unable to repair the potholes as the RMC did not approve the fund requested. The last time I submitted a budget of Rs 9.5 crore for the repair of roads and drains, I received Rs 3 crore.”
The ward members frequently receive complaints from commuters about the dreadful condition of the streets and drains in the vicinity of DAV Kapildev. “Despite receiving complaints, we cannot repair it due to lack of funds,” Arjun said.
Kokar’s riverside road is likewise in a poor state. Abhishek Ranjan, a resident, said water from drains overflows on to the roads making it difficult for us to commute.
Arjun Yadav, a ward member of Haider Ali Road, Kokar, said, “The amount provided by the RMC to the ward members is insufficient to fix the roads, lanes, and drains. Besides, the approval of the tender takes a year.”
Due to a damaged drain slab in the riverside neighbourhood of Kokar, water from the drains overflows onto the road during rains. “I submitted a proposal for repairing a drain last year. But the bid has not been issued yet,” he added.
Naazima Raja, a ward member of Lower Bazar, said, “The funds should be distributed equally for the repair of potholes and drains. However, the RMC distributes it unequally among the wards, making it difficult for us to repair them, resulting in poor road condition.”
Meanwhile, sources in the RMC said the funds are distributed based on a formula calculated on the population and land area of each ward. Additional municipal commissioner Kunwar Singh Pahan stated, “We allot funds according to a formula based on population and land area.”