Bumpy roads begin from Chandigarh mayor Malik’s ward

Even as mayor Raj Bala Malik claims there is nothing wrong with the condition of roads in Chandigarh, she doesn’t need to look too far from her own ward, which comprises Sectors 12, 14, 15 and Khudda Lahora Colony, or her residence in Sector 10 to see the real picture.

On Monday, when reporters questioned her about the condition of roads in the city, she had remarked, “Show me the damaged roads.”

Residents of Sector 15 claim that proper re-carpeting of roads hasn’t been done in years. Chandigarh residents association welfare federation (CRAWFED) vice-chairman Surinder Sharma who resides here says, “Before the mayor makes such claims, we urge her to visit her own ward. Roads in front of our houses in Sector 15-C haven’t been recarpeted in over five years. Repairs are done in patches, which is susceptible to damage.”

Sector-15 residents’ welfare association (RWA) president Ravikant Sharma said the condition of roads in the sector is bad and has been the cause of several accidents. “The road near the petrol pump connecting the sector to Madhya Marg remains perennially covered in potholes. The road from the Sector 15 post-office heading towards Sector 15-D is also especially bad. We have taken up the matter with various candidates who became the local area councillors of this ward, including Malik, but nobody takes our complaints seriously,” he said.

The roads in Sector 10, where the mayor resides, are also in bad shape, especially in front of the Government College of Arts. Colonel Kulwinder Singh (retd), president of the Sector 10 residents’ welfare association (RWA), says, “The condition of roads in Sector 10 has been bad for the past few years. No carpeting work has been done in the past two years. The mayor needs to only look outside her own house to see the condition of roads.”

RWA general secretary Gurnam Singh added, “The poorly lit road which are filled with potholes end up causing accidents. Two-wheeler drivers can easily lose their balance on the stretch in front of Arts College and the government museum here.”

Municipal corporation (MC) commissioner KK Yadav had told the MC house during a meeting on February 7 that road repairs will start from February 15. MC chief engineer Shailender Singh said, “The recarpeting work needs to be done at a temperature of around 25 or 26 degrees. If the temperature doesn’t rise by February 15, then repair work can be delayed by a few days. If the temperature isn’t high enough, the durability of repairs gets affected adversely.”

Multiple attempts to reach the mayor for her reaction proved futile as her phone was switched off since evening.