New fly-over construction at Pachpaoli, a headache for commuters

 

 

 

 

The ongoing construction of a 9 km long fly-over, the longest fly-over of the city from Pachpaoli to Dighori, has put the citizens in a very tight spot, as the road connectivity to and fro to North Nagpur has been snapped. New fly-over was meant as replacement for the existing Panchpaoli railway overbridge. It was built in the 1990s to deepen the connect between North and South Nagpur. However, to facilitate the construction of new fly-over, half of the road besides the ramp of Panchpaoli RoB has been dug up and the other half is covered up by the construction material. Thus, for the pedestrians and road users, there is virtually very little space to move to an fro. There are schools and colleges close to the intersection where the construction is underway and lack of a clear pathway at the spot is leaving them stranded on the either side.

 

Especially, the areas adjoining the ongoing construction site are densely populated and most of the residents here are daily wage earners. For them, any disruption in road connectivity is a serious issue and taking a long detour means bearing additional expenses, which in these days of economic inflation, is a cause of major worry. Students of Sindhu Mahavidyalaya told ‘The Hitavada’, “The ongoing construction creates a lot of disturbance, it disturbs us during the lectures. Neither the contractor nor the authorities are bothered about the blockade of roads due to which the students who reside in the nearby areas have to take long routes to reach the college. Another group of students said, “They are affected due to the dust dispersal, due to the construction work, which makes it difficult to breathe at times, especially during cloudy days. A few others complained about breathlessness and coughing, affecting the residents of the area since last one-and-half years.

 

‘The Hitavada’ team visited the area to examine the issue and observed the construction area as well as the roads. It was noticed roads near the ongoing construction site are in poor condition for a long time. Routes with potholes make it difficult for the people to use these roads. Particularly, during rainy-season, they are quite slippery, giving nightmare to people. Although time to time road repairs were carried out, the movement of heavy vehicles with loads meant the recurrence of potholes, putting paid to the expectation of citizens.

 

Apart from citizens, even the businessmen in the area are at a loss to understand as to when the construction activity will be completed. The shopkeepers said, since the work started, their business has taken a hit. Similarly, patients coming to Daga Hospital too are in a fix as they have to take a long detour to reach the place. Aggravating the situation, even the other approach roads are choc-a-bloc due to proximity to wholesale market areas. Though no one doubts the intention of the Government to improve connectivity, people expect it to ensure that ongoing construction does not end up causing inconvenience for a long time to citizens. Another major issue is lack of proper lighting at the site and most of the time, the road from Agrasen Square to one going towards Tandapeth is enveloped in darkness. So the citizens expect authorities to ensure that construction work is fast tracked or atleast temporary measures be undertaken to cut down the hardships.