‘Endless’ road work puts lives & livelihoods at risk on this Bhopal stretch

Bhopal: For the past six months, the ongoing road work at a stretch from Bittan Market to a mall has been exacting big and small costs from commuters, businesses and residents in the area.

The nature of these costs range from injuries, traffic jams, loss to eateries to endless trouble navigating uneven patches. And experts say the situation could worsen once the monsoon arrives.

Recently, a middle-aged woman fell off her two-wheeler as it slid off on an uneven patch of road from Bittan Market to 1100 Quarters on Tuesday. She came away with minor scratches but such incidents are becoming a routine affair now on the entire stretch from Bittan Market to Aura Mall, where the tar road is being converted into concrete-cement (CC) road post-monsoon. Despite the mounting risks, the road work continues with no end in sight.

‘There Is No Road At All At Some Points’

Shantanu Shukla, a resident of Arera Colony, while talking about the road work undertaken in the area, said the experience of driving on this stretch is jarring, a see-saw ride despite the CC road in place in some patches. “This is because the road is not smooth, there are gaps on the road and at places, there is no road at all.”

“Two-wheelers wobble, cars crawl, and pedestrians pick their way through dust, debris and poorly marked diversions, often invisible after dark”, said Arti Saxena, a resident of Trilanga, on her experience of riding her car on road from Shaitan Singh Chauraha to Aura Mall in the last few months.

With construction dragging on for nearly six months and no fully functional stretch in place, questions are being raised not just about delays, but about how such work is being carried out in high-density areas without basic safeguards, she added. Additional DCP Sanjay Pawar said no fatal accidents have been reported so far, though complaints around congestion and poor road conditions are frequent.

Business Hit, Access Road Closed: Food Vendors

Roadside vendors, owners of shops and restaurants by the roadside in the area said their businesses have taken a hit because the access road to their shop or restaurant remained closed for even a month at a stretch, at times.

Deepak Sahu, a roadside vendor selling fruits said the sales have taken a hit with fewer customers willing to navigate the stretch beyond Bittan Market towards Trilanga. “The road work has been dragging on for months. The dust and digging are hurting us. Some vendors have already shifted to other places ,” he said.

MANIT Expert Flags Dangers

Road expert and a faculty at MANIT, Rahul Tiwari, said the problem begins at the drawing board. “No proper contour analysis was done to assess how rainwater would flow. Road levels should have been fixed keeping natural water movement in mind. Wherever was required, the road should have been cut and adjusted accordingly. That hasn’t happened,” He said contouring maps how water moves from higher to lower ground, and ignoring it can lead to waterlogging.

“The real picture will emerge after the rains, but even now, the gaps are visible,” he said. Tiwari also flagged concerns over surface quality, saying the roughness index on the newly laid CC roads appears high, affecting safety of commuters. While talking to TOI, he also seemed to be concerned over drainage of stormwater during rains. “In parts, drains exist, but they don’t connect. There’s no proper network,” he said.

‘To Be Completed By June’

Chief engineer Sanjay Muske, when contacted for comments, said the project is likely to be completed by June, adding that nearly 90% work at Vande Mataram Chauraha near 10 Number market is done and will be opened soon.

On the ground, though, relief still appears to be distant.

(With inputs from Aditi Singh Rawat)