Shoddy repair work: Locals

ULHASNAGAR: Ulhasnagar residents have blamed shoddy road repair works, use of sub-standard materials and lack of regular repairs for the pathetic condition of the roads every monsoon.

The residents have taken to social media to draw attention to the many potholes prevalent on the roads across the city.

In the last five years in Ulhasnagar, more than ₹30Cr has been spent on road repair works. Every year, around ₹5Cr-₹6Cr is spent on road works. Ulhasnagar has around 130km of road in its vicinity, of which 70km are cement roads and the remaining are asphalt roads.

The Hirali Foundation in Ulhasnagar wrote to the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC), the State CM, Uddhav Thackeray, and Thane Collector to draw their attention to the condition of bad roads in Ulhasnagar on Thursday.

“The pothole or road repair in Ulhasnagar taken up by the civic body is an eyewash every year. Tender is given to a contractor who does shoddy work. It was shocking to see the state of the road towards VTC ground, which was repaired on September 7 for welcoming Thane Guardian Minister, Eknath Shinde. It could not remain intact for even a week when the road developed huge potholes,” said Sarita Khanchandani, president of Hirali Foundation.

“The entire Ulhasnagar roads are filled with small pebbles and dust. The dust particles are continuously released, causing respiratory ailments. Potholes on roads are also one of the major causes of traffic jams, leading to excessive honking and noise pollution,” added Khanchandani.

Rahul Punjwani, a 37-year-old motorist, said hard-earned taxpayer’s money is wasted on road repairs. “All the civic officials or contractors who do the shoddy work should be fined or punished and an example should be set for every city,” he said.

The potholes are due to the continuous heavy downpour the city received all these days, claimed the civic officials. “Once the rain stops, all the roads will be repaired and potholes will be filled. Even if the road repair works were done, the heavy rains wash them away,” said Yuvraj Bhadane, UMC PRO.

It hardly takes 30 minutes from my residence to go to Thane. However, I spend around two hours on a daily basis to cover this distance.

ARVIND GUPTA,