Pedestrians and vehicles have a tough time on the dilapidated road under the flyover in Patna on Thursday. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Before hitting the Bailey Road each morning, sing aloud “today’s pain is tomorrow’s gain”.

Commuters will have to bear with the 2-km bumpy ride between Jagdeo Path and Sheikhpura Mor at least for the next seven months.

The potholed stretch would not get a fresh coat of asphalt till the flyover above is up and running because road construction minister Lalan Singh believes it would be a waste of resources.

The expected time of the completion of the project is June 2015.

Singh told The Telegraph: “The department will not repair the road between Jagdeo Path and Sheikhpura Mor until the work of the flyover is over. Its repair before the flyover is ready would make no sense. Heavy machines, including cranes, would frequently pass through the stretch during the course of the flyover construction work and damage it again.”

Former road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav, who laid the foundation stone of the flyover with then chief minister Nitish Kumar on October 16, 2012, differed. “It was mentioned in the agreement that the road should be always kept motorable so that people do not face any trouble. It seems the road construction minister does not have any knowledge about this upcoming flyover or doing it intentionally.”

The present road construction minister’s view left the commuters using the Bailey Road — the lifeline between east and west Patna — high and dry.

“I have to take this road every day to reach my office in Danapur. I find plenty of potholes and cracks. Many times I have to balance myself while travelling on this stretch. It also takes a lot of time because the road has become narrow after the flyover construction work began. The construction debris make the journey more miserable,” said Naveen Pradhan, a resident of Jagdeo Path.

The areas on the either side of the dilapidated stretch of the Bailey Road are developing fast. Big shopping malls are coming up. Besides, there are hundreds of shops and general stores.

Shravan Kumar, the proprietor of a general store near Ashiana Mor, said: “Our life has become hell because of dust. The road is in such a pathetic condition that customers avoid coming to my shop. I do not mind the construction of the flyover but the base road should be repaired where the pillars and the spans have been erected for convenience of commuters.”

Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL) is the executing agency for the flyover. It has allegedly not taken any step to provide smooth road to motorists.

“Till now, we have built 80 pillars out of 95 and erected the superstructure over 62 spans out of total 94. As far as the problems for the commuters are concerned, we have not got any instruction from the road construction department regarding repairing the base road,” said an official associated with the flyover project.

The slabs of the flyover are made at the plant of BRPNNL near Saguna Mor. The pillars are being erected at the flyover site itself.

According to project details, the total length of the four-lane 25m wide flyover is 2.275km, including 300m of approach road. The project cost is Rs 161.97 crore.