Kusum Bihar Colony in Morabadi - one of the upmarket areas of capital Ranchi that houses residences of dozens of doctors, academics and senior government officials - stands testimony to civic apathy that forces even the most resourceful of individuals to put up with poor amenities.
Situated barely 2km from the residence of former chief minister and JMM patriarch Shibu Soren, Kusum Bihar has been crying for a good and motorable road for the past many years.
A drive from the heart of the city, towards the colony, leads to a hell popularly known as Kusum Bihar Road. One and a half kilometres of the 4km road between Divyayan Krishi Vigyan Kendra of Ramakrishna Mission and Medical Chowk near RIMS is both ugly and warty.
In the recent times, over three dozen plum apartments, including Usha Apartment, Madhuri, Kasturi, Gitanjali, Sriram Enclave, Vishnudham, Vaidyanathdham etc, have cropped up in the colony, which is fast emerging as a real estate hub.
However, 20,000-odd residents, mainly top medical practitioners, retired principals, engineers and government servants, are upset with the administrative apathy.
Dentist Shantanu Kumar, who runs Rohini Dental Clinic from Road No. 7 in this colony, said the condition of the road did not improve in the past 15 years. The road construction department repaired the stretch with Rs 1 crore ahead of the 34th National Games in Jharkhand in 2011, he said.
"But the quality of work was so pathetic that the bitumen layers and stone chips disappeared within six months. Many a time, we requested the government, local MLA (Kanke) and Ranchi MP to look into the matter. They have had visited this area and promised quick action. But nothing changed," he rued.
Kusum Bihar is a part of the Kanke Assembly constituency, which is represented by BJP MLA Jitu Charan Ram, and falls in ward No. 4 of the Ranchi Municipal Corporation.
"I have been living in this area for the past 11 years. I never saw the road in good condition," doctor Richa Singh, a local resident, said.
Ranchi deputy mayor Sanjeev Vijayvargiya said that the civic body had handed over the road to the PWD for repairs. "The PWD will soon float a tender and revamp the road," he said without specifying any deadline.
