A pothole on Kanke Road near the chief minister’s residence. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Aug. 2: It doesn’t really matter to which part of the capital city one is driving to, it’s not wise either to do so without a first-aid kit. That’s to take care of all the bumps on the head as the car jerks its way through the rough, potholed roads. The fate of the car, of course, one can guess.

Those arriving new to the city do not really take long to discover this. It hits them hard as soon they leave the railway station. With all good intentions, a horizontal trench was cut just diagonally across the railway police station to lay down water supply pipes. And then left in that condition.

The journey has just begun. After this whether one is heading towards the main city through the Club Road or taking the much-publicised four-lane Hazaribagh Road to move into the city via Kantatoli Chowk, there’s no respite from the continuous bumps and jerks. After a drive through the Mahatma Gandhi Road, be prepared to cough up money at a car servicing centre. Its carelessly topped up surface starting to peel off has given way to what all commuters dread — potholes.

But, while driving through the road in front of the Assembly, one realises that one is actually very unfair in accusing politicians of thinking only of themselves. The road in front of the Assembly is as bad as the rest. Another VIP road, the Kanke Road, too sees to it that VIPs are unable to speed through it in their red light cars. The bumps ensure that. If one thought heavy vehicles like trucks could remain unaffected by potholes, the ones on Circular road, adjacent to the old Birsa Munda Central jail, are so deep and deceptive, that they too suffer the same fate as the lighter, more fancy vehicles. That it has not proved to be fatal till now is only a matter of luck. Further down this road, next to the main entrance to the home minister-cum-road construction minister Sudesh Mahto’s residence, there are deep and long stretches of trenches waiting to welcome drivers.

There is more, of course. If a vehicle manages to reach Booty Road after negotiating treacherous trenches on the flanks of Karamtoli Road, dangerous potholes await it near Arogya Bhawan. These two potholes were filled up with very fine chips and a thin layer of bitumen, and within a couple of days the pothole caused by digging for providing water connection has emerged with more treachery and depth.

Ask contractors what’s it that causes potholes, and they are likely to say: “Quality of material and tendency to save on the labour.” Haste and the tendency to save on diesel and labour cost lead to uneven surface even after a fresh layer of bitumen is spread over a road. These uneven spots collect rainwater, leading to undesired conditions.