Monsoon season renders Ghaziabad roads potholed, cratered

Residents said the condition of roads has come to the fore as the rainfall activity has subsided for the past two days

Ghaziabad: The condition of roads in Ghaziabad city has gone from bad to worse during this monsoon season, and the municipal corporation officials say potholes and road repairs will be done by October.

In Kaushambi, residents said that the upper layer of the roads has eroded during the monsoon. “We have potholes every 20-25 metres. Driving has become difficult, and jerks cannot be avoided. (Sakib Ali/HT Photos)

Civic officials said they maintain a road network of 2,158 kilometres across the five municipal zones, and the roads include main roads, master plan roads, arterial roads, and sub-arterial roads, among others.

Residents said the condition of roads has come to the fore as the rainfall activity has subsided for the past two days.

“Regular traffic jams in peak hours and damage to vehicles are the order of the day in localities like Indirapuram and Vaishali. The road condition has gone from bad to worse, especially after heavy waterlogging experienced this monsoon season. The road patches have crumbled on the CISF Road near the Kanawani culvert, near the fuel station, and also behind the sewage treatment plant,” said BK Pandey, a resident of Sector 5, Vaishali.

Similar road condition prevails at the junction of Ahinsa Khand I and II in Indirapuram, which leads to regular traffic jams during peak hours, he said, adding that roads have also broken down in sectors 4 and 5 of Vaishali.

In Kaushambi, residents said that the upper layer of the roads has eroded during the monsoon. “We have potholes every 20-25 metres. Driving has become difficult, and jerks cannot be avoided,” said VK Mittal, former president of Kaushambi Apartments RWA.

An HT team also spotted broken patches and potholes at the end of the Nehru Nagar flyover, at Sector 4, Vaishali, near Jaipuriya school in Vasundhara, near Aaykar Bhawan in Vaishali sector 3, and also at the Hindon canal road near Arthala.

Commuters said that the canal road leading to the Vasundhara underpass has also developed craters.

“The road is a major passage towards Vasundhara and the CISF Road. It has developed huge potholes that are difficult to be noticed during night and pose a risk for commuters,” said Sushil Kumar, a commuter from Sahibabad.

The Ghaziabad municipal corporation officials said that works worth ₹9.5 crore will soon be taken up for pothole repairs.

“The city has suffered heavy rains this monsoon season and potholes will be dealt with in coming weeks. Likewise, different works amounting to ₹46.11 crore have been tendered out for road repairs. Another tenders for about ₹14.51 crore will also be put to tenders for road repairs. The works will start soon as the hot-mix plant locations of some contractors have suffered waterlogging,” said the corporation’s chief engineer NK Chaudhary.