The fury of the monsoon seems to have taken its toll not only on the roads in the mountainous areas of the State but also on those in the Capital city. The roads in all parts of Dehradun are affected by the incessant rain and the people are having horrendous time travelling on them. All the major and arterial roads of the city are in bad shape. At many places, the road digging activity for sewer lines, pipes and cables have made things worse for the denizens.
The condition of Dehradun-Haridwar highway is most pathetic and at places dangerous to travel. A four kilometer stretch of road from Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) to forest check point on Haridwar road has become a nightmare for the commuters.
“The potholes are so big on Haridwar road that bumper of my car was hit many times during my visit to city on Wednesday.There is a lot of VIP movement on this road and it is strange that no one is paying heed to the plight of motorists on this stretch of road,’’ said Rajesh Kumar a resident of Kuwanwala.
The condition of the arterial roads of the city is pathetic apart from numerous pot holes these roads have been entirely washed away at many places. Some of the areas where important roads are dotted with numerous potholes are Eucalyptus road, Pulia number 06, Mussoorie by pass road, Raipur road and Dl road. To add to the woes of the common people many recently carpeted roads have got damaged many of them failing to withstand even the first spell of rain.
The Executive Engineer (EE) of Provincial Division of PWD, Dehradun, Devendra Shah told The Pioneer that the department has done 5000 patchworks on the roads of the city in this season. He claimed that three teams of the department have been deployed to fill the potholes and do patch works.
“Each team consists of 6-7 members and is adequately equipped for patch work. The damage to the roads during the rainy season is a common phenomenon but we are proactive on reconstruction works,’’ said Shah. He further claimed that the department has no shortage of resources and budget to deal with any situation.
The EE of the provincial division, which has about 400 km of city roads under its jurisdiction said that common people can call on number 0135-2623746 and inform about damage to the roads. He claimed that the department has setup a time frame of 48 hour to address any complaint. Shah said that the department has a two years maintenance clause added in its contract under which all such roads which get damaged within two years of their construction are repaired by the contractor concerned without charging anything on the department.
On the scary potholes on the Haridwar road, he said that this stretch of road does not fall under his jurisdiction. When contacted on the issue the Chief Engineer, National Highways PWD, Hariom Sharma transferred the onus on National Highways Authority which according to him is entrusted for upkeep of the national highways.
However the tall claims of the department on prompt work on road repairs tend to fall apart the moment one steps on the roads of the city. The gaping potholes and damaged roads show a mirror to the claims of the department officials.