The Hindu : Karnataka News : Condition of roads deteriorates as it continues to rain

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 31, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Condition of roads deteriorates as it continues to rain

Special Correspondent

City corporation and Citizen Advisory Committee face serious challenge

— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

IN POOR SHAPE: A road devastated by rain in Mysore.

MYSORE: The Mysore City Corporation and the recently constituted Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) have a formidable challenge ahead to improve the condition of roads in Mysore.

This degradation of city roads comes within months of a challenge posed by the then corporation commissioner who promised to give rewards ranging from Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,000 to those who could find potholes on major arterial roads in Mysore.

Normally, the authorities seek funds from the Government ahead of Dasara to improve the quality of the main roads, including the procession route, but political uncertainty put paid to any such effort this year. This was justified on the grounds that the extended monsoon would undo all efforts and, hence, they would wait till the end of Dasara.

But Dasara is long over and there seems to be no signs of the rain stopping. Consequently, the work too has been held up. And, it is the commuting public that bears the brunt.

Some of the most affected roads are Saraswathipuram Main Road, the road leading to the court, Kukkarahalli Kere Road, Mahatma Gandhi Road and the road adjoining Crawford Hall leading to Kalamandira. The under-bridge in front of the Saraswathipuram fire station is a case in point. Water collects on the surface and potholes make driving hazardous.

In addition to the main roads in the commercial areas, roads in the residential areas such as Kuvempunagar, Saraswathipuram, Gokulam, Vijayanagar, Vontikoppal, Chamundipuram, Udaygiri and Nazarbad are in bad condition. And if the weather forecast is any indication, then the roads are unlikely to improve any time soon.

Flooding

Non-government organisations working on civic amenities are quick to point out that more than the roads, it is the poor condition of storm-water drains that results in flooding of the roads. The Government normally releases around Rs. 80 lakh for Dasara and the Public Works Department seeks an additional Rs. 2 crore for the repair of roads. This has become an annual feature, but the quality of roads does not seem to improve. It is evident that substandard roadworks are carried out year after year for which a large amount of money is released but with little improvement by way of quality.

Experience with road projects does not inspire confidence among the public after what happened to the Asian Development Bank-funded infrastructure project. More than Rs. 130 crore was sanctioned and spent for which the public was taxed. A major portion of the funding was channelled towards the repair of roads. But after the completion of the project, there was nothing much to show by way of results.

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