Potholes own the stretch connecting airport with Landran road

Mohali: The stretch that runs towards Landran road from the international airport in Mohali is full of potholes and stones scattered all over it making it a deadly trap for the commuters.

The first right turn from the roundabout at the airport towards Landran road is badly damaged making commuters go straight and then turn left from the lightpoint to save their vehicles. Some potholes on this stretch of the Chandigarh-Mohali airport road are even 2-feet deep. Piles of sand also lie on the middle of the road with no streetlight working making it risky for people to drive after dark.

Varinder Pal Singh, a resident of Phase 5 said, “It is difficult to drive on the road because of potholes, mud, torn asphalt and dust in air. So far, the administration has done nothing to prevent them. During monsoons, the roads became death traps. I had complained about the road management but no action has been taken in the recent past.”

However, he also mentioned, with elections nearing, the authorities have all of a sudden become active starting repair works of roads in the entire town.

The multi-crore road connecting Mohali and Chandigarh has turned out to be a failure giving bumpy rides to the commuters due to potholes, mud and torn asphalt. Dogs and cows also roam on it disturbing traffic and posing threat of road accidents.

The road that was constructed less than two years ago has been torn apart, allege the residents.

Resident of Phase 2, Mohali Atul Sharma said he would file a consumer court case soon as his car was damaged when it bumped into a pothole filled with water. The repairing of the car, whose bumper and a portion of engine was damaged, had cost him around Rs15,000.

“It is not about my car. It is about maintaining the roads for public. These roads are repaired and constructed with public money and I believe that public money has been wasted by the administration. The other road parallel to this is clean and smooth like mirror. How are they making it possible?”

It is more difficult for the two-wheelers as they are prone to accidents. Even small potholes can make them lose their balance causing grievous injuries to the rider. Howver, minor accidents keep taking place on the road and they are never reported, claimed the local residents.

“Riding bike is difficult as we have to meander through the road to avoid running into potholes. This is becoming more and more difficult and stressful due to the increasing number of craters,” said Sukhminder Singh, who works in a call centre in Chandigarh and commutes regularly from Tangori village.

Additional chief administrator of GMADA Sanjeev Hans said, “We are aware of the bad condition of the roads in town and have prepared proposals to carry out repairs. We will start our work as soon as possible.”