Dug-up roads deepen misery of Patnaites

Patna: Traffic snarls have lately become too common in various parts of the city, primarily because about 25 roads, including both main and arterial roads, have been dug up either for repair work or for laying of sewerage pipes. These roads include Boring Road, SP Verma Road, Fraser Road, Buddh Marg, Dr Kashiprasad Path (Board office road), Sinha Library road, Station road, Bari Path, parts of Exhibition road, Patliputra Industrial Area and several arterial roads of Pataliputra Colony, Kankarbagh, Rajendra Nagar etc
Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (BUIDCO), which had been assigned the job of repairing many of these roads and laying sewerage pipes, is struggling to complete the work, though monsoon has arrived, compounding Patnaites woes.
“Boring Road was dug up at several points during the last one month. The road became waterlogged and full of sludge during the last three days when smart rain lashed the city. Some patchwork has been done to fill up the trenches dug up, but they are so uneven and messy that it is very difficult for commuters, specially two-wheeler riders, to negotiate the road in this rainy season,” said a daily commuter Avinash Singh.
Fraser Road has been dug up near the All India Radio, making the road one way, accentuating traffic woes. To add to Patnaites’ agony, drainage work is currently stalled.
The scenario at Buddh Marg, opposite Patna Museum, is also bad. With deep ditches dug up and filled up with rain water, it is difficult for the pedestrians to walk and vehicle-owners to drive. It is now almost a month that the road has been dug up and left unrepaired. Despite several requests to officials, nothing is being done to repair the road, said several residents of the Udaygiri Apartment located in the area and some visitors to Patna Museum.
The trench near the S P Verma Road roundabout is another point where everyday there is a huge traffic snarl. Office-goers and shopowners in the vicinity question the wisdom of digging up of the road when monsoon has already arrived. “These works could have been undertaken by the agencies concerned ahead of the rainy season. The road was dug up about a month ago, but the work is yet to be completed. Anybody could imagine our plight,” said a banker, Ranjit Kumar, who has to pass through this road to reach his office on Fraser Road.
Employees working in the Bihar School Examination Board office situated off Fraser Road and other offices on Sinha Library Road and those living in the area also have the same story. “It is a nightmarish experience for the employees of board office and the residents. It is over six months now that the road was dug up to lay sewerage pipes... It is a hellish condition. We really don’t know when will this work be completed,” said a BSEB employee, Nitish.
PMC’s executive officer (New Capital Area) Vishal Anand said, “Though the ongoing work on Fraser Road, Sinha Library Road and Board office road has not been undertaken by the PMC, we are in constant touch with BUIDCO authorities. They have assured us to complete all ongoing work within the next 6-7 days.” He added, “Work on Boring Road was undertaken by the road construction department and the PMC has hardly anything to do with it.”
BUIDCO MD Amarendra Prasad Singh told TOI, “Work on Fraser road will be completed in a day or two. It had become essential as due to lack of sewerage line, the nearby areas were getting waterlogged. As soon as our work on Fraser Road is through, we will take up the pending work on the Board office road. We hope to complete the task in the next one week.”