By Kunaal Badge :
THE fly-over between LIC Square and
Automotive Square is ready for opening soon. This fly-over is expected to
ease traffic on the busy stretch of this
national highway, and, in turn, life of
many commuters. Butthe goodnessof
the new development however ends
here, as this fly-over is proving to be a
nuisance for commuters travelling
under it.
ThecurrentroadbetweenLICSquare
and Automotive Square passing
through Kadbi and Indora Squares, is
one of the busiest stretch of roads in
the city. It has heavy vehicular traffic
ofallkind,fromtwo-wheelers toheavy
trucks. Making life difficult for commuters are the smallto big craters that
arevisiblethroughoutthisstretch,making life hellish for citizens. Given the
heavy movement throughout the day
and evening time, those using the
Kamptee Road must pray a lot as there
are chances of one slipping in a bid to
avoida potholeandfallingontheroad,
where traffic flow is very heavy.
Locals blame this condition of road
todrainagewaterpouringdownonthe
roadfromthenewlybuiltfly-over,which
seemstolackanyproperdrainagefacility.
The water falling on road erodes
the loose metal of the lower road creatinghugepotholes andcraters.These
potholes are repaired but after a single spellofrain,the craters return back
asbefore.This isbecauseas the tarand
water do not mix, it ends up creating
problemaplentyforcitizens, whocontinuetosufferinnumerabledifficulties.
Even after the repairs, commuters
experience uncomfortable, bumpy
rides due to patchy work
done while repairing without paying
any heed to levelling of the road surfaceandtherepairedspots.Thisbumpy
ride not only causes severe back and
neckpain,butalsothreatensmoreserious health problems for regular travellers.
The road was underthe supervision
ofNationalHighwayAuthorityofIndia
(NHAI). A senior official of NHAI
informed ‘The Hitavada’ that the road
has been denotified and is
now underthe process of being handed over to the State Public Works
Department (PWD) for its maintenance.
Some auto and e-rickshaw drivers
‘TheHitavada’spoketoexpressedtheir
displeasure over the condition of the
road. They said, “ This road has heavy
traffic throughout the day. The potholes and bumps are scattered all over
the place. In traffic, it is impossible to
dodge the craters. If we apply brake
before the craters, it creates a possibility of mishap taking place.”
Asked about the water falling down
fromfly-over,theyinformedthatalong
withcausing potholes, commuters are
also getting drenched in the falling
water.“Two-wheelerriderstrytoswerve
away from the falling water suddenly,
creating possibility of accidents”,
informed the auto drivers.
Akhilesh Halve, Deputy General
Manager, Corporate Communication,
Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation
Limited (MMRCL), assured ‘The
Hitavada’,thatproperdrainagesystem
hasbeeninstalledonthefly-overwhich
deposits this collected water from the
fly-over to the median of lower road