Will city roads be pothole-free ?

A couple of years ago Mysore City Corporation launched the campaign 'Find a pothole, win a prize' to cover the potholes. But the result...
Many promises were made to make city roads pothole-free. But when Star of Mysore conducted a survey in some areas, it was a horrible sight. The problem of bad roads is endless. While the potholes have made vehicles to break down, the occupants are having a bumpy ride.
A visit to areas like Agrahara, Saraswathipuram, T.K. Layout, Gokulam, V.V. Mohalla, J.P. Nagar, New Kantharaj Urs Road, K.G. Koppal, Kuvempunagar, Thyagaraja Road, Temple Road (Venkateshwara Swamy temple stretch in Gokulam), Vijaya-nagar, Court Road, etc., show the pathetic condition of the roads.
The worst among all are the Temple Road, Thyagaraja Road and Saraswathipuram. Vehicle riders have to negotiate more than 70 potholes on the stretch of Temple Road. A ride on this busy stretch from St. Joseph’s School in Jayalakshmipuram to Ramakrishna Vidyashala in Yadavagiri is a nightmare.
"It is pathetic to see so many potholes with huge craters on this single stretch. The Corporation's claim to make city roads free of potholes has not yielded any result till now. Apart from this, we can also easily notice that manholes are not fixed appropriately as they are protruding from the road level”, says Sudhakar, a resident of Yadavagiri.
"We are daily commuters on this road but still we are afraid to drive as there is very little road left in the midst of potholes and craters. The authorities have promised many times to make city pothole-free but still they have not found time to visit these roads. If the officials and Corporators concerned visit all Wards regularly, then they may be able to take some action on making the roads worthy of riding," says a school van driver.
"Are the officers sleeping? During rainy season, it was very difficult to commute on this road and sometimes, the vehicles used to get stuck in the pothole. The contractors responsible for this shoddy work should be punished and the Corporation should instruct the contractors strictly to maintain quality while laying the roads,” said auto driver Mallesh, who was on his journey on Thyagaraja Road.
And the scene was same in residential areas too. Saraswathipuram 13th Main Road is in a very bad condition. After repairing the drainage, they have left the debris in the middle of the road causing inconvenience to vehicle riders for the past five months (see picture alongside).
Even roads on outskirts like KRS Road, Nanjangud Road and T. Narasipur Road are also facing the same problem.
Patch work
The authorities have now descended to fill some selective potholes and the work is going on in some places. But, how long will it remain, we have to wait and see.
Good roads are the basic component of a good governance. But here the authorities concerned have failed to provide adequate basic amenities to the citizens. The authorities who are involved in road construction and maintenance should work seriously and make city roads pothole-free.
[Tuesday 3rd November 2009]