The direction of the State Transport Authority (STA) to the Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) to crack down on errant drivers flouting the MVA Act rules and seize their Driving Licences has been welcomed by transport sector experts and motorists in general.
But they said major reasons for road mishaps like bad road conditions, faulty road engineering, inadequate or confusing signage, potholes and pooling of water on roads, oil spots caused by vehicles, slippery conditions due to weather like rain should also be rectified.
If Government collects taxes, it is bound to provide good infrastructure including roads. Why is that all the roads like National Highways maintained by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), State Highways, Roads and Buildings , municipal corporation and Water Resources Department roads on river embankments are ripped off, potholed or tattered, they questioned. Why does the situation repeat itself every year? Who is to blame? Why isn’t any action taken against the contractor or the officials responsible for this? The Government should either compensate the motorists or recover the amount from contractors and officials, they said.The drivers try to avoid the potholes or pooled water on the roads and this often leads to mishaps to motorists but also adds to their financial burden.
They asked who should pay for vehicle wear and tear caused by bad roads.They have to spend more on maintenance of vehicles that get damaged more because of the bad road conditions.“Bad roads have increased our expenses as vehicles either develop technical snag or suffer dents while driving on potholed roads. Besides tyres of my four-wheelers got damaged due to frequent punctures while driving on bad patches,” said a motorist Laxmichand Chaudhury.
The bad road conditions lead to about 50 per cent of mishaps besides, rash and drunken driving, said a Traffic police official on condition of anonymity.The condition of roads is bad in most of Smart City and has worsened due to poor upkeep.
Roads in bad shapes are endangering lives of many. Problem of potholes proves fatal for two-wheeler riders as they slip and fall down, often leading to grievous injuries, said a biker, Santanu Dash.