Like runway, airport approach road too in bad condition

NAGPUR: It is not just the 3,200-meter runway, tarmac and taxiways that are in bad condition at city airport. Even the one-km approach road from Hotel Pride to terminal building has deteriorated. Everybody who uses it is uncomfortable with rough, disintegrated surface.
Not just that, vehicles entering and leaving it on Wardha road junction have to encounter heavy traffic and there is no signal to regulate it.The road has become uneven at many places, with rough patches and potholes have developed. The footpath tiles on both sides have either developed cracks or become uneven.
Many passengers told TOI that driving on the stretch is a nightmarish experience. Drivers also have to put up with dust and other construction material lying on the road. "It is a bumpy ride," a passenger said. It becomes worse as many drivers coming to airport still park their four wheelers on this road to avoid paying parking fees, they said. This leads to possibility of accidents.
Sources at airport admitted the road surface had deteriorated because of various reasons like wear and tear and last year's rains. It does raise a question on the maintenance work carried out by the airport operator company Mihan India Limited (MIL).
Five years ago, the road was widened to four lanes as part of airport modernization project by Airports Authority of India (AAI). It was also beautified with landscaping on adjoining land. However, the present operator MIL has carried out no maintenance work on it. Surface disintegration or rough patches have not damaged any vehicle as yet but it is fast getting to the point where they will. Senior airport officials admit that the road is in a pathetic condition and needs immediate resurfacing.
MIL project manager Abid Ruhi said,"MIL proposes to resurface the entire stretch and the work will start after rains," he said. He could not explain why the resurfacing was not taken up along with the tarmac and taxiway resurfacing work carried out in March this year.