While a potholed Karbala Chowk road lies neglected, a perfectly clean stretch of Purulia Road has been resurfaced again in Ranchi. Pictures by Manik Bose

Strange are the ways of the state road construction department. It repairs some of the best stretches of the state capital at considerable cost, but ignores vital arteries used by thousands of vehicles daily, leaving them potholed and broken.

Purulia Road is a “commuters paradise”. Yet Rs 1 crore is being spent on sprucing it up.

The are other roads that need immediate attention. For instance, Jail road, Kokar Road, Hazaribagh Road and Karbala Chowk Road — one of the main thoroughfares parallel to Main Road — are in a poor state. But the authorities have turned a blind eye to the problem.

Here’s what’s happening to Purulia Road, part of state highway I.

WHY: Executive engineer, Ranchi (rural) division, A.K. Rana says the stretch between Sarjana Chowk and Kanta Toli was about to develop cracks, hence the repairs

COST: Rs 1 crore

WORK TAKEN UP: Surface renewal with additional

bituminous layer

ROAD LENGTH: 5 kilometres

WHO WILL PAY: Funds for the project withdrawn from state exchequer at the end of last fiscal (2009-10). Concerned engineers claim a spillover clause allows them to use the funds in the current fiscal.

CONTRACTOR: Khanna Construction

OFFICIALSPEAK: Chief engineer of state road construction department Patwari Soren is unaware of the ongoing construction work. “But I would look into the matter to see if the work is being undertaken as per norms,” said Soren