Gaya, July 13: Watch your step and your two-wheeler on roads. If the crater-like potholes do not get you, the muck and the silt dredged out of the open drains and manholes surely will.
Several roads, apart from some main thoroughfares, in Gaya town continue to be pockmarked with potholes and dotted with open manholes. At present, the ongoing dredging of drains in most of the areas of the town has compounded the misery of the residents, as the silt scooped from the drains is dumped on the roads to dry before being carried away, leading to traffic congestion.
Roads in Gaya are maintained either by the road construction department or the Gaya Municipal Corporation (GMC). GMC has engaged a private agency, Ramky.
Ramky official Anil Kumar Singh said cleaning of drains in seven wards of GMC began in April and May. But the exercise was delayed and monsoon arrived.
“Cleaning of drains has been completed in most of the areas and only 20 per cent work is left,” Singh said.
Even light showers wash the silt across the roads, making it slippery for pedestrians and motorists. He admitted the delay was on the part of Ramky, as it had no idea of the depth of the drains.
On the other hand, several main roads, including Bari Road, Tekari Road, Godavari Road, Chand Chaura Road and Ramsagar West Road under the road construction department, have developed potholes. Bari Road and Tekari Road form the business hub.
“Construction of Bari Road on the approach to Kathokar talab was stopped midway, leaving a gap of more than a feet between the old and the newly constructed portions. This has led to minor accidents on several occasions. Moreover, there are many potholes on the road,” Naushad Alam, a businessman, told The Telegraph.
The busy Tekari Road also needs repairs. “The road has several potholes between Bata More and the Fatehganj Lane,” Mukesh Dutt Tiwari, a resident of Fatehganj, said.
Gaya division executive engineer of the road construction department Amarnath Pathak said: “Scarcity of funds is responsible for the delay in the completion of roads.”
