Potholes on Chandigarh-Kharar highway give motorists a tough time
The highway is being upgraded, but the project is mired in land acquisition pangs.
Around 700 metres patch on the Chandigarh-Kharar highway has some 300-odd potholes and pits giving a harrowing times to thousands of commuters taking the road daily.
The highway is being upgraded, but the project is mired in land acquisition pangs. So far less than half of the highway upgrade work has been completed. Coupled with increasing potholes, the tardy pace of the project makes journey on this route miserable.
The road is with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the upgrade of the patch from Balongi to Kharar has been contracted to Larsen and Toubro (L&T).
Authorities say the rainy season and faulty municipal drainage system are to be blamed for the potholes. No matter the reasons, the potholes exist, putting commuters through bumpy rides, and causing severe traffic snarls, more so during morning and evening hours.
“The road is in a bad shape for several months now. The flyover work has been lingering. It appears, the road will remain riddled with potholes till the highway project is completed,” said Arjan Singh, a resident of Sunny Enclave, who takes the highway daily to reach Khanpur.
“There is no road. We drive through potholes, which are deepening day by day, and authorities do not even care to fill them up,” said Harmail Singh, a shopkeeper, who travels on the highway daily.
The poor condition of the road is also affecting vehicles plying on it. “I take my car on this road twice a day, and every few days, I need to get its wheels aligned that costs me to ₹200 to ₹250,” said Akshit Malhotra, a taxi operator.
NHAI project director KL Sachdeva said the road was repaired a few months back before monsoon, but it was broken again since people living on both sides of road open their water drains on the national highway.
“We had made small drains on the roadside, but due to the faulty drainage system they weren’t of much help,” he said, adding, “The weather is expected to clear after the monsoon recedes. The road will be repaired before September 15.”