Delay in construction, design problem, chaos mark this stretch of Wardha Road
| Date :26-May-2019 |
As the Kriplani Chowk turning is closed for traffic, vehicle riders/drivers have to take a U-turn from an opening between metro pillars at a location near Central Prison gate, to go towards Deekshabhoomi. As the tall barricades block the sight of the traffic coming from NEERI end of Wardha Road stretch, one can often see vehicles jostling for space at this spot.
By Kartik Lokhande:
Delay destroys a dream’s potential to yield desired fruits. In case of Nagpur Metro Rail project, this statement holds true with an added element -- design problem -- at least in Wardha Road stretch from Kriplani Chowk to Ajni Square. ‘The Hitavada’ campaign is receiving tremendous response each passing day. In fact, some people are pointing out problems they face every day due to ongoing construction of Nagpur Metro Rail project. One such reader, a doctor by profession, pointed out the problems faced by the people while commuting on Wardha Road.
This particular portion of Wardha Road before the entrance to Central Prison, is half-cement and
half-tar. When there is dense flow of traffic during morning and evening rush hours, two-wheeler and four-wheeler riders find it difficult to cross the patch, which is in very bad condition. (Pics by Anil Futane)
The problems faced by people are many -- congestion due to narrowing down of usable road width, bad condition of roads, U-turn opening at blind spots, etc. As one covers the road stretch from Kriplani Chowk to Ajni Square, the first spot where one comes across a problem is Kriplani Chowk itself. The metro rail route takes a turn from Wardha Road towards Ajni Railway Station along the newly constructed tar road. However, while constructing the new road, the alignment with the road leading to Deekshabhoomi and metro route pillar was not kept in mind.
The narrowed road stretch has turned into a trouble spot for the traffic because of pothole, cement lumps, and unrepaired dug-up portion of road.
As a result, the square has become a clash-point for traffic coming from Rahate Colony and that coming from Deekshabhoomi. Sadly, the issue has not been addressed yet. When ‘The Hitavada’ first highlighted the issue, some things moved and even the Traffic Police co-ordinated with the metro authorities. The officials had assured each other that the matter would be sorted out within a week or so. However, a month has passed by and things stand as they are. On May 22, some workers were seen digging the newly constructed cement road coming from Deekshabhoomi.
When asked about the work they were doing, one of them said that the direction of road-divider was being ‘corrected’ to match with the pillar and the direction of road-divider on newly constructed road leading to Ajni Railway Station. Whether or not the work gets completed before the onset of monsoon, remains to be seen, but till then the Kriplani Chowk turning stands blocked for road traffic at least during daytime. Obviously, when this turning towards Deekshabhoomi is blocked for metro work, a vehicle rider/driver goes straight ahead to find an opening on right side. However, he finds none till a short distance before the gate of Central Prison along Wardha Road. But, this turning is dangerous. For, it is between the metro route pillars.
On both sides of the pillars barricades have been placed to create a kind of long lane in the middle of Wardha Road. At the point before Central Prison gate, barricades have been removed to create a turning for those willing to take a U-turn and move towards Deekshabhoomi. But, due to barricades, this turning is a blind spot. Often, one sees vehicles coming from NEERI end of Wardha Road and those taking U-turn at this point, come dangerously close to each other. Many times, there is a jam for a while. The problems do not end there. In fact, even before one takes the U-turn, one has to pass from under the under-construction metro station.
And, here, the traffic congestion is worse. For, barricades placed to create lane along the pillars and those placed on the left side of the road, further narrow down the usable road width. This narrow stretch is used by big buses, trucks, four-wheelers, two-wheelers, ambulances, and bicycles. The problem gets worsened by the utterly bad condition of usable road width. There are bumps created due to cement lumps, and there are ill-repaired potholes. The vehicles jostle for space here. As soon as the vehicles cross this narrow and bad stretch of Wardha Road, they have to face another road-test ahead. Slightly before the entrance to Central Prison, the road stretch is half-cemented and half-tarred. The half-cemented portion gives one an off-roading experience, to say the least. Obviously, one riding/driving a vehicle has to suddenly apply brakes and reduce the speed. Else, there is likelihood of an accident. All along this stretch from Kriplani Chowk to Ajni Square, the footpath on the left side of the road is in utterly bad condition.
Either the huge metal structures, or construction debris, or materials are placed on the footpath. Or, footpaths are simply dug up and left that way. As a result, the footpath that was used by morning and evening walkers, is not available to them now. Even if one takes a U-turn from Ajni Square (before the spot where battle tank is placed), one finds that the footpath along the NEERI compound wall is dug up and tiles are lying scattered. One finds a small board hanging on one of the barricades informs the people that some work relating to metro rail project is in progress. This particular stretch of Wardha Road -- from Ajni Square to Rahate Colony Square -- has been offering a pleasant ride/drive to those visiting the city of Nagpur. However, with the footpath dug up and tiles lying scattered, the view is definitely not pleasant. So, the obvious message that a visitor gets is -- metro work has destroyed the city’s beauty. This impression gets only cemented as one moves from NEERI gate to Kriplani Chowk. For, the road stretch gets narrower after some distance.
And, it is in this narrow stretch that the provision for U-turn has been made, as described earlier. The road under the under-construction station structure also is in bad shape, adding to the woes of road users. Those using the road daily were initially curious about the construction work. However, as the project work progressed, and the condition of the road deteriorated, they started growing anxious. The road condition has not improved since more than a year. The people are still using the road, but not without cursing the tardy pace of metro project work. Obviously, the authorities cannot hear it. For, they have never bothered to ask people to express their opinions or submit their grievances and provide a vent to their ire. Will the authorities do it now, if they really wish to redress the grievances of the people and make them stake-holders in the process? Well, it’s a question that can be answered only by the authorities concerned.