What must be done to curb potholes in city?

THE BEST

The potholes on the city roads are a curse on pedestrians and motorists. It cause injuries from minor scratch to even death. These holes are developed due to the weak strength of the roads and due to vehicles plying on these roads with heavy loads. Initially the surface looks normal, but due to poor laying of these roads, potholes appear suddenly. During day time, they can be noticed. Atr night, they remain unnoticeable and accidents take place. Streetlights do not function properly in many places as well. Twowheeler riders are the worst hit, and cyclists too have a difficult time. Several people are getting injured.

Either potholes on the roads should be filled on a daily basis, or they be isolated by placing danger markings. — G. Murali Mohan Rao (Congratulations Mr Murali Mohan Rao! You win `150 which you may collect from our office before Friday)

II

Potholes are man-made. This is mainly due to cheating of work by contractors and lack of supervision by corrupt engineers and other officials. They are more interested in eating away public money. Poor quality of cement mixture and improper curing are problems as well.

The authorities should ensure that there is proper supervision. It must be ensured that quality cement mixture is used and proper curing time is given while laying roads. Senior officials and concerned ministers should visit the work spot and check how the laying of roads is done.

The contractor must be made to give a guarantee for the work that he does, and be duty-bound to do maintenance for a fixed period. A separate toll free number must be installed and citizens who come across potholes may alert the authorities. They should be rewarded with small gifts to solve the problem in time. — Chakravarthy Ram Pershad