A few spell of rains have proved the Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) extensive pre-monsoon exercise futile as repaired potholes have re-surfaced on city roads. The rains also exposed the civic body’s tall claims of using advanced construction techniques for construction of roads. Potholes, officially logged as rectified just weeks ago, have re-emerged at the exact same spots with loose gravel and washed-out bitumen creating hazards for motorists. Contrasting pictures can be seen in the city, as there is lack of cohesiveness in potholes repairs.

 

At some places, the filled up craters are solid but then at maximum places, the gravel have become loose, said a citizen. The loose gravel often poses risk to the two-wheeler riders. The civic body’s annual claims of ensuring smooth and hazard-free roads prior to the monsoon have once again fallen flat, exposing sub-standard resurfacing materials and poor quality control. With rains lashing the city every other day, roads are not yet ready to provide safe riding experience to commuters during monsoon. Critical arterial routes including Wardha Road, Mankapur Ring Road, Hingna stretch, Ravi Nagar quarters road, Futala road, WCL road, Swami Nagar, Santa Nagar, Jai Bhim Nagar and many such other internal roads across the city are currently dotted with deep, submerged potholes, posing severe safety risks to motorists. Frustrated residents and daily commuters have voiced deep anger over the recurring failure of civic infrastructure, questioning the accountability of contractors and engineering supervisors.

 

“NMC claims to conduct pre-monsoon maintenance of the roads every single year, yet two good spells of rain wash away all their efforts. These aren’t just potholes anymore; they are fatal traps hidden under water-logging. Riding a scooter at night has become an extreme safety hazard,” said Mohit Sakhare, a daily commuter. Sneha Kulkarni, a college student from Ravi Nagar, highlighted the sheer danger caused by the crumbling road surfaces. “The patch near our layout was repaired barely few weeks ago, but the tar peeled off after the very first downpour. It clearly shows the quality of materials used by the contractors.

 

Tax-payers deserve far better accountability from the civic administration,” she remarked. Speaking on the issue, an Engineer of Hot-Mix Department, NMC said, “Usually the repaired potholes are supposed to remain untacked for a season, whereas throughout the year, the department tries to constantly maintain the roads and repair potholes across the city.” The sudden vanishing of these repaired surfaces has exposed the superficial nature of the civic body’s maintenance strategy, sparking widespread demands for immediate structural audits. As public outrage grows and traffic bottlenecks worsen, civic activists have urged the NMC to institute strict audits of the internal road of the city and repair the potholes with high-grade cold-mix filling to prevent loss of life during the peak monsoon months.