IT MAY be very difficult even for an ardent supporter of Nagpur’s political and civic leadership to appreciate the ubad-khabad manner in which the administration has designed the two intersections on the Central Bazar Road in West Nagpur -- one at Ramdaspeth near Deekshabhoomi and the other at the Bajaj Nagar square. The administration is not using the usual interlocking blocks in these two places, but has chosen to use what may be described as gravel stones (the material they used in urban spaces previously).

 

For the past four months, these two intersections are under renovation, so to say, with the help of gravel stones (with sharp edges) embedded in cement. And the levelling of the intersectional space is just terrible -- making it very difficult for two-wheeler users to navigate through the spots. And this is not just the loosefooter’s observation; this is the common opinion of hundreds of people who have seen the mess that the civic administration has created at those two intersections. The administration started the work at the Bajaj Nagar square a little earlier than the Republic Day on January 26, 2025. That work is still not complete. The Ramdaspeth Square work (near the Kachipura Police Post) started about two months ago, and is yet far from completion.

 

The work-in-progress at these two intersections is causing much inconvenience to the public for such a long time -- and has disturbed the traffic flow through the two very busy intersections. But the administration does not seem to be in any hurry to complete the work. The overall experience, thus, is of a public work going on most sluggishly and so shabbily -- without a sense of design, without a sense of usage of the spot etc etc. Who is responsible for this mess ? Who designed the two intersections ? Is there no sense of accountability on the part of the people who are operating on the idea of the two intersections ? And finally, isn’t there any monitoring system by way of which the authorities keep inspecting the work in progress ? The answers to such questions are never easy to come by. So, when such questions are asked, the political leadership silences the voice of dissent in a varied manner.

 

There is no doubt that hundreds of Nagpurians have already raised their voice against the shabby design and work at the two critical intersections. It is unfortunate that the city of Nagpur is being defiled in such a manner for the last so many years, thus: Badly designed bridges and fly-overs); Badly paid pavements covered by interlocking cement blocks that allow no seepage of water into the ground takes place (causing floods every rainy season); Badly designed intersections in which there is assiduous defiance of common sense and sense of scientific urban design ... ! This gives rise to a simple question -- that we must ask the city’s civic and political leadership: “Are you blind ?” Can’t you see what damage is being caused to the city ? n