Of Narendra Nagar RuB malady
| Date :26-Sep-2019 |
Vijay Phanshikar :
For decades, the Narendra Nagar Road-under-Bridge (RuB) has been a problematic spot impeding traffic flow on the Ring Road with even a little rainfall. No matter the effort that the civic authorities might have done to rectify the problem, the spot becomes a fairly deep pool of water that takes seemingly endless hours to get drained out. It is obvious that the efforts to solve the problem have been insufficient and not fully scientific. Over time, many ‘scientific’ solutions have come up to sort out the ticklish water-logging problem at the Narendra Nagar RuB, but to no avail. Now, some researchers have indicated that the problem may be coming up because there is no systematic tackling of the issue of ground-water recharging in the surrounding areas.
Obviously, the problem appears to need extensive approach that would take into account not just the spot but also the terrain around. There is reason to believe that the brook (nullah) that flows under the railway bridge is the actual problem spot that seems to act as a funnel into which a lot of groundwater flows and then overflows onto the RuB, blocking traffic due to water-logging. If the brook is one aspect of the problem, the other aspect is the low-lying position of the RuB. Water flows into the trough from both sides of the Ring Road in a natural, gravitational course. And because more and more water keeps flowing into the trough, long hours are required for the accumulated water to ease. Even though everybody knows the nature of the problem of Narendra Nagar RuB, no sincere efforts seem to have been done by the civic authorities in conjunction with the railway authorities.
Thus the problem has continued. If the administrative authorities as well as political leadership had taken the challenge seriously, they would have found an effective solution by now. That is where the problem gets compounded. If there were appropriate political will and genuine administrative desire, the problem would have got solved on a permanent basis. Alas! But then, every city has at least one such spot that dares the wisdom and efficiency of the civic administration. Every city, without exception -- New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai -- you name it! The authorities in every city generally fail to solve at least one problem that becomes an eternal challenger to the official and leadership wisdom. Nagpur being Nagpur, it may have more than one such spots.
Leave alone such attribution, let us face facts squarely. Let us not ignore the reality that the civic authorities in Nagpur have not been able to find an effective solution to the Narendra Nagar Road-under-Bridge water-logging problem for decades. In actual terms, this is a matter of shame for the civic administration. During all these years, they could have sorted out the issue by seeking scientific solutions -- all by themselves or with the help of the railway authorities since the RuB is under the jurisdiction of the Railways. But let us refrain from using unnecessarily strong words about the administration’s failure to sort out the Narendra Nagar RuB issue.
Let us concentrate on how the problem can be solved. Let us come up with a comprehensive solution to the problem that has so-far eluded resolution. There is no doubt that multiple agencies will have to be involved in the effort. A lot of academic researchers, too, will have to be engaged in solution-seeking. The problem may be just on that particular spot, but its solution may be hiding in the surrounding areas, which only experts can know. It is time the city treated this problem with a sense of urgency. For, every year, the Narendra Nagar RuB witnesses weeks of water logging and a serious traffic-impediment. Such a situation cannot be allowed to continue at least from now on. True, the solution to the problem may not emerge tomorrow morning. But then who ever says that we need a quickfix or short-term solution. We need a permanent solution, which can come only from a comprehensive look at the issue. But until that happens and whenever it does, the Narendra Nagar Road-under-Bridge will keep mocking at all of us.