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| Cause & effect: Drinking water and sanitation department workers dig the Bariatu-Booty More Road near RIMS to repair a water pipe on Wednesday and (above) the twin potholes on the stretch near Bariatu police station. Pictures by Prashant Mitra |
The ugly warts are back on Bariatu Road — the 5km arterial link between Raj Bhavan and NH-33 at Booty More which was repaired only last year.
A 3.5km drive between Karamtoli Chowk and Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Mission Hospital exposed at least a dozen craters, not to mention potholes. Some of the craters were big enough to suck in and damage four-wheelers, while others made vehicles, including ambulances, crawl.
“During the day, one can still try and negotiate the craters. After sundown, cars and bikes inadvertently run into these holes. Some damage their axle, some ruin body paint. Bikers run the risk of getting thrown off their vehicles because they are required to slam brakes so suddenly. Minor accidents like car hitting car are routine,” said Ramesh Sahu, a grocer who has his shop and residence near RIMS on this road.
Bariatu Road passes by two hospitals — the RIMS and the SDA — which means ambulances carrying patients from Hazaribagh and Ramgarh take this road from Booty More. Besides, it is also availed by VVIPs like the governor, the chief minister, the chief justice of Jharkhand High Court and the Speaker of the Assembly, who all have their official residences on Kanke Road and need this direct link to the mega sports complex in Hotwar.
So, what has caused the craters on a road widened in 2008 and repaired before last monsoon? Road construction officials blame the pothole peril on an old drinking water supply pipe that passes directly under the artery and has developed cracks. Leaking water from the pipe leads to fissures on the bitumen road, prompting the drinking water and sanitation department to dig up stretches to repair the pipe and restore supply.
Booty, Bariatu, Kokar and other localities of the state capital get their drinking water from Rukka dam. A common pipe from Rukka goes till Booty More after which it branches out into two — one towards Dipatoli and Kokar and the other to Bariatu.
The first pipe is placed alongside the road and does not cause damage. The second, which runs beneath Booty More-Raj Bhavan Road, is the root of all problems.
Yamuna Ram, former executive engineer (supply) of drinking water and sanitation department, said new pipe-laying work had been completed along a 750-metre stretch of the 5km road. “Work will continue,” he added.
Harprit Singh, a resident of Bariatu Jora Talab and a daily commuter, remained sceptical. “The craters were plugged before the rains. They have surfaced again,” he said.
Umesh Sinha, executive engineer (road construction), admitted that craters keep cropping up because of underground water pipes. “The road has developed craters again and it is in my knowledge. These will be repaired,” he said, stressing that repairs would be done within a fortnight.
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