Source: The Times of India Date : 09.07.2009
Nagpur's 'VIP Road' gets NMC third degree
NAGPUR: While it is great that Nagpur Municipal Corporation is working overtime for improving water supply, the manner in which it is going around laying new pipes is anything but professional. A great example of how not to do this work is at so-called ‘VIP Road'.
This stretch of East High Court Road between Alankar talkies square and traffic park corner, was created more than a decade ago to facilitate easy movement of VIPs. Right now, it is being given the third degree by the NMC. Despite the clear guidance from the NMC to repair or asphalt the road as soon as they complete the pipe laying work, the private agency that got the tender to implement the water supply augmentation project has failed to repair the road though they have already closed the surface.
First they dug up the eastern half of the road and diverted both up and down traffic through western half for a couple of weeks. Then they dug up a smaller trench along the western half even as the trench along eastern side lay unrepaired. Now they have completely closed the western side putting both up and down traffic on eastern side. The trouble is that the original trench on this side is still unrepaired and covered with huge boulders. This means entire traffic now has to somehow manage on virtually through a single lane.
Situation is made worse when huge city buses enter the road. They can barely pass each other in the available space. Presence of a large number of two-wheelers that try to overtake larger vehicles only adds to the chaos.
Mukesh Bankar, a local resident, pointed out that the ditches left uncovered for long periods due to delay in the works often jeopardise the road safety of the motorists besides resulting in traffic snarls . With excavated earth piled up on either side of the road and with rain, the patch has turned into death trap for road users. On Tuesday morning, a minor accident on VIP road stopped the traffic for nearly 20 minutes. Besides, there were reports of many road users getting injured after falling into trenches dug up on city roads, claimed senior PI (traffic) Jameel Ahmed
Ahmed, however, said the traffic police had already provided guidelines to NMC. It should barricade the area, provide sign-boards and also deploy workers during night hours to warn motorists of ongoing work. NMC has chosen to ignore them.
City engineer (NMC) S Gaikwad said that the corporation had not started any fresh works. He further clarified that the tenders of laying pipes were given a year back so there is no question of stopping the work. He said the contractors had already been instructed to patch up the road immediately after laying the pipeline. He had no explanation about why this was not being done and what action would be taken against the contractor for this.
This stretch of East High Court Road between Alankar talkies square and traffic park corner, was created more than a decade ago to facilitate easy movement of VIPs. Right now, it is being given the third degree by the NMC. Despite the clear guidance from the NMC to repair or asphalt the road as soon as they complete the pipe laying work, the private agency that got the tender to implement the water supply augmentation project has failed to repair the road though they have already closed the surface.
First they dug up the eastern half of the road and diverted both up and down traffic through western half for a couple of weeks. Then they dug up a smaller trench along the western half even as the trench along eastern side lay unrepaired. Now they have completely closed the western side putting both up and down traffic on eastern side. The trouble is that the original trench on this side is still unrepaired and covered with huge boulders. This means entire traffic now has to somehow manage on virtually through a single lane.
Situation is made worse when huge city buses enter the road. They can barely pass each other in the available space. Presence of a large number of two-wheelers that try to overtake larger vehicles only adds to the chaos.
Mukesh Bankar, a local resident, pointed out that the ditches left uncovered for long periods due to delay in the works often jeopardise the road safety of the motorists besides resulting in traffic snarls . With excavated earth piled up on either side of the road and with rain, the patch has turned into death trap for road users. On Tuesday morning, a minor accident on VIP road stopped the traffic for nearly 20 minutes. Besides, there were reports of many road users getting injured after falling into trenches dug up on city roads, claimed senior PI (traffic) Jameel Ahmed
Ahmed, however, said the traffic police had already provided guidelines to NMC. It should barricade the area, provide sign-boards and also deploy workers during night hours to warn motorists of ongoing work. NMC has chosen to ignore them.
City engineer (NMC) S Gaikwad said that the corporation had not started any fresh works. He further clarified that the tenders of laying pipes were given a year back so there is no question of stopping the work. He said the contractors had already been instructed to patch up the road immediately after laying the pipeline. He had no explanation about why this was not being done and what action would be taken against the contractor for this.
