Shops and dhabas along the National Highway 33 at Kanderbera. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Aug. 22: The vehicle repairing shops along the Ranchi-Jamshedpur NH-33 are making money, thanks to the poor condition of the road. But the operators of the dhabas and eateries along the highway are crying foul.

Buses that used to halt at these eateries have now stopped doing so. The drivers say they were instructed by their bosses to ensure that they reach their destination on time. The poor roads, said the drivers, have left them with no option but to skip halts for refreshments.

One of the drivers on this route, Md. Maqbool, said: “We used to get free or nominally-priced meals every time we stopped at these dhabas. But our owner has told us to ensure that passengers reached Jamshedpur within three hours. As the road is in a dilapidated state, we cannot afford to take a halt at these dhabas anymore.”

Earlier, Ranchi to Jamshedpur would take about two-and-a-half hours. But now, because of the pothole-ridden road, the trip sometimes takes four hours.

Those operating the eateries are worried. Their sales have been hit because the buses, and its passengers, were a regular and reliable source of income.

The owner of a Rargaon-based dhaba, Md Afroze, said: “No vehicles are stopping at my shop and I have to meet the expenses of over 20 employees daily. All buses used to stop for 15 to 20 minutes in one of the dhabas on Ranchi-Jamshedpur stretch of the highway. Not anymore.”

Patron of Jamshedpur Bus Owners’ Association Upendra Sharma said the 130-m stretch between Ranchi and Jamshedpur is costing them too.

“We are incurring an additional daily-maintenance-expenditure, which sometimes runs into thousands of rupees. Out of 130-km, 60 km is extremely bad. We have sent memoranda to the state government to repair the road. But our pleas have fallen on deaf ears,” Sharma said.

Though Centre had released Rs 22 lakh for the repair of the 25-km Chandil-Jamshedpur stretch, work is yet to be started for reasons unknown. Also, the road construction department has invited tenders for repair and maintenance work at an initial estimated cost of Rs 33 lakh.

Technical adviser to the national highways division of the state government Anant Kumar said they have forwarded a proposal for the widening and strengthening of the Pardih-Dimna stretch to the NHAI for approval.