Race to repair bumpy roads before rains
POCKMARKED Agencies claim roads have been repaired ahead of monsoon but work is still on at several stretches
roads are far from ready for the monsoons that are scheduled to hit the city this week.
All road repair work in the Capital was supposed to be completed by June 15, but several stretches are still filled with potholes and debris.
The three municipal corporations — North, South and East MCD — had identified 209 stretches where repair work was planned to be completed before June 15. Funds were given for the repair of these roads but the corporations admit that 155 of these are still not ready.
Meanwhile, digging work is also on at several stretches which could prove disastrous once the rains arrive. “The direction against road cutting or digging from June 15 till the end of monsoon, is being openly violated,” said Mukesh Goel, councillor, Sarai Pipalthala.
In Pocket B, Mayur Vihar II, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation is constructing storm water drains. With the debris lying all around, residents fear that the work could cause mayhem during monsoons. However, EDMC officials maintain that the work was started before June 15 and the norms do not apply in this case. “This is a big project and we can’t stop construction work during monsoon. We are removing the debris everyday from the site,” the official claimed.
However, when HT visited the place on June 26, heaps of construction debris were seen on the road. This is not an isolated case.
Near Guru Nanak Eye Centre on Maharaja Ranjeet Singh Marg, the Public Works Department (PWD) is constructing a drain on both sides of the road. “The work started only a few days back. Last week’s pre-monsoon showers led to waterlogging here due to the debris lying around,” said Saleem Khan, a resident.
The road connecting Raghunath Mandir, DDA Flat Kalkaji to Alaknanda Market in South Delhi is among the 155 MCD roads where work is still on. “Two months back, the South MCD started the work to construct drains here. But within a few days, labours left the site. The halfdug lane is now a ground for mosquitoes breeding,” said Virender Kasana, former councillor from the area.
Before taking up any work that involves cutting up a road, the government and private agencies have to deposit a fixed sum in advance. Yet, the repair of such roads is painfully delayed. MCD officials say the difficult procedure leads to delays. “We need to issue tenders depending on the volume of work,” said Yoginder Singh Mann, spokesperson, North MCD
The road repair work has started only a few days back. Last week’s premonsoon showers led to massive waterlogging here due to the debris lying all around. In 2014, 704 complaints were filed by the residents about the relaying and repair of roads. In 2015, the number increased to 1,809 and in 2016 it went up to 2,595.
Efforts to check breeding of mosquitoes
Among the key factors responsible for poor roads are: multiplicity of agencies, lack of co-ordination among agencies and poor drainage system.
At New Friends Colony, for example, South MCD carried out dense carpeting of roads in 2016. Yet, some of the lanes saw heavy waterlogging during monsoon. “The drains were not given any proper outfall, which led to waterlogging,” said Chitra Jain, RWA member, New Friends Colony. MCD again dug the roads in September 2016 to build the drains. But situation still didn’t improve, Jain said. Finally, the officials said that there is flaw in the bigger drain (at JD Musafir Road) which belongs to PWD.
Jain said PWD carried out some repair work, but the problem is yet to be fixed. As per rules, a road made of bitumen cannot be constructed again before five years; for roads made with ready mix concrete, the cap is 10 years. If there is damage before this period, it has to be repaired by contractors free of cost. However, because of the alleged nexus between contractors and councillors, the rule is not followed, said North Corporation official.
Lack of funds also hit maintenance. “We have no money to distribute salaries, how can we carry out the repair work,” a senior MCD official said.
As per a Praja Foundation report of May 2017, there has been a 43% increase in complaints about poor roads in the last one year. “In 2014, 704 complaints were filed about the re-laying and repair of roads. In 2015, the number increased to 1809 and in 2016 it went up to 2595. In comparison, the councillors raised the issue only 111 times in 2014, 81 times in 2015 and 82 times in 2016,” said Milind Mhaske, director of Praja Foundation.