Driving on Pardi road? Ride your luck!

 

 

AN APT signboard welcoming people to Nagpur from the Pardi side can be, Bach ke rahiyega, aap Nagpur mein hain (Be safe, you are in Nagpur!). The entry point or the eastern exit point of the city resembles a mazy network where one has to depend totally on providence to croass the stretch. A collection of boulders and loose gravel passes off as a road; massive pillars, heavy machinery and barricades engaged in two simultaneous infrastructure projects choke up the remaining path; potholes offer their ‘deep’ gratitude for daring to test them even as a melange of heavy, medium, light and ultralight vehicles seek an escape route. The parody called Pardi keeps testing lady luck every minute.

Two big-ticket projects are taking shape in the area for last several years. While major portion of the fly-over built by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and railway line by Maha Metro is towards completion, a long stretch on the section is still caught in a time warp. Commuters on the road are forced to have a daily brush with accident due to the pathetic road condition. Monsoon rains have added to their plight as the remaining part of the road (if one dares to call it), too, has been washed away.

The agony begins after Vaishnodevi Square, where a cement road is being laid and also repaired! The work has blocked one lane of the road making the other one serve as double lane. Apart from sudden twist and turns to the other lane, the surface beneath cries for attention, yet again. It was repaired a few months ago when ‘The Hitavada’ had brought the road’s poor condition to notice of the authorities. A few showers later, the upper surface has promptly vanished.

A few metres ahead, the point connecting Wardhaman Nagar and Ring Road near the narrow gauge railway line is a harrowing mix of invisible road, confusing barricades and craters. The bumpy ride continues through zig-zag openings till the entire flock of traffic is ushered into a ‘chamber of no escape’ formed in front of HB Town. This stretch has been divided into two roads with a big tin barricade on one side and Metro Station pillars on the other side. Once into it there is no room to maneuver till the horrific traffic chaos at Pardi Square is cleared at intermittent intervals by cops and other volunteers.

Although the arrangements are temporary due to the ongoing construction work, the alternative left for people is shabbily planned. The authorities simply decided to leave people to their fate, for, the patch is terribly wobbly with vehicles being forced to climb and descend high mounds. The intersection at Pardi, where the fly-over and Metro line would pass each other, is a crisscross of utter perplexion and chaos. The imposing cement structures have changed the look of the square, leaving people confused about the routes to be taken. Further, construction activities have left small tracks to cross the intersection with no signages about destination. A diversion from Kalamna Market road towards Pardi to enter Wardhaman Nagar has complicated problems.

Traffic jams caused by the presence of roadside vendors is a regular feature on Pardi road. A few weeks ago Union Minister Nitin Gadkari got a first-hand experience of the mess but despite his furious directives to authorities precious little has changed on the road. Residents, shop owners and hospital administrators in the area are among the worst sufferers due to the road condition. As they struggle with the pollution and frightening traffic scene, they can only hope for a miracle. Because, even the Minister’s words have fallen on deaf ears.