Dug roads, ditches spark safety concerns

Patna: With barely a fortnight left for the arrival of the southwest monsoon, residents fear that roads dug up for infrastructure projects across the city could turn into slush-filled stretches, causing traffic snarls and safety hazards.Areas such as PC Colony, Rajiv Nagar, Magistrate Colony, Excise Colony, the service lane near Gola Road, Saguna Mor, Boring Canal Road, Indrapuri and several pockets of Kankerbagh are among those affected by ongoing works. Open trenches, excavated earth and uneven road surfaces have become common sights.“Every year it’s the same story. They dig up the roads before monsoon and leave them half-finished. Once the rains hit, these areas will become completely unnavigable,” said Ramesh Kumar, a resident of Doctor’s Colony.Narendra Tripathi of PC Colony said roads near Lohia Park and Jay Prabha Medanta Hospital were dug up only a week ago for drainage work. “Why don’t they do it earlier? The scene was grim when it rained a couple of days back,” he said.Anupama Gupta of Ashiana Nagar said she remained stuck in traffic for over 45 minutes near Gola Road. “Due to ongoing metro and road construction work, the lane has become narrow and one-way for long. Besides, the lane has become quite slushy and bumpy,” she said.In Rajiv Nagar, residents voiced concern over a deep ditch along Road no. 1. “There is a 12 to 14 feet deep ditch between the road and the drain, filled with sludge. If anyone falls into it, no one will be able to survive,” said Rajesh Kumar.Residents also fear stagnant water mixed with construction debris could become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, increasing the risk of vector-borne diseases.Buidco managing director Animesh Kumar Parashar said around 4,800 metres of road were dug up under the Namami Gange Project, mainly the Digha-Kankarbagh STP project. “Networking work has been completed over 3,800-m stretch and the list of all these roads have been sent to the road construction department to restore all the roads. Work has also been going under Mukhyamantri Shehri Samagra Yojana and storm water drainage project,” he said.“Instructions have been issued to all agencies not to dig roads from June 1 and to complete pending work by June 15,” Parashar added.PMC commissioner Yashpal Meena has also directed agencies to make roads motorable by June 15. Officials said road-cutting work linked to drainage and water pipeline projects is underway in all 75 wards, while remaining works will resume after the monsoon.