Deadline looms Safety risks, construction delays leaving commuters in a stalemate

 

 

 

 

There are a lot of development works underway in the city. What the leaders claim is right that, ultimately, these works would reap a lot of benefits to commuters. Everyone agrees to it. The flaws are the time duration and the manner in which these works are being carried out. The flyover at Amravati Road is among the development works carried out in the city. According to officials of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the flyover will be ready by June 30, 2025. At present, it seems NHAI won’t be able to meet the deadline. A lot of work is still incomplete. If one takes a look near RTO, from where the flyover starts, a lot of debris and work of the slope is in progress. But, the girders have not been fully placed. Secondly, the road under the flyover is being paved at snail’s pace. This road witnesses heavy traffic.

 

This has resulted in causing several difficulties to people. The flyover starts from near RTO and reaches the square near Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University campus. When one reaches Bole Petrol Pump Square, one gets to drive on a good road. The road after this square that goes towards Law College Square is in a bad condition. The traffic slows down and commuters have to drive cautiously. The traffic moves snail’s pace as it reaches Law College square. To add to the woes of the people, the road connecting Law College Square to Bhole petrol pump is still closed for traffic. Here, the roads from Gokulpeth and MLA Hostel are free of congestion. But the one under the under-construction flyover is in a bad condition. Traffic mess reigns supreme at this junction.

 

The vehicles going towards Gokulpeth too get stuck on this narrow road. Commuters can’t take a left turn till the traffic signal in Law College Square turns green. Everything comes to a stand still for a considerable period of time. After the signal turns green, most vehicles move ahead towards Ravi Nagar square and only after that, the other vehicles headed for Gokulpeth move on. This has become a daily story of this square. On several occasions, school buses, auto-rickshaws, ambulances, city buses, all get stuck on this road. The wait for the green signal is too much for the riders. But they find themselves helpless as they don’t have any option than to just wait, wait and wait. The road between Law College square and Ravi Nagar square too is not fit for use. There are a lot of potholes and people have to find a way while driving. Again, the commuters get stuck at Ravi Nagar square where the road gets narrow. Here, both the roads joining the square from Sengupta Hospital and from Dande Hospital face traffic congestion. From Ravi Nagar Square to Bharat Nagar Square and vice versa, people are facing a lot of problems. From Ravi Nagar square to Bharat Nagar square, people have to face traffic congestion throughout the day till till flow of traffic wanes by night time. On the left, there is a bus stop of State Road Development Corporation.

 

One lane close to the bridge from both sides has been constructed. Commuters are now using that part. But the other lane is closed due to construction. One sees the same situation on the other side too. A lane has been constructed haphazardly, due to which half of the lane slants downward, forcing traffic to move on the upper side of the road. Bus operators halt on the constructed lane and the passengers have to climb on it to board the bus. The same story is repeated on the other side of the road. The road crossing has not only become difficult, but dangerous too. Since the road width has narrowed, the vehicles behind the buses have to wait. The queue keeps getting long till buses don’t depart. To add to the woes of the people, a lot of vendors selling snacks allow their customers to park the vehicles near the road. This improper parking too creates hurdles for the vehicular movement.

 

The construction work is causing other problems too. Recently, hundreds of residents from Priyadarshini Colony, Gorepeth and surrounding localities had faced foul smell, mosquito menace, and vector-borne diseases due to the gross negligence of the contractor responsible for the flyover construction. Vikas Thakre, MLA from West Nagpur and President of Nagpur City (District) Congress Committee, visited the nullah near RTO office on Amravati Road and found that the contractor had blocked flow of sewage water by dumping debris, and failed to construct a new nullah, thereby making life miserable for nearby residents. “Citizens have been facing various issues due to the delay in completion of the flyover for the past three years. NMC, which is also responsible for addressing civic grievances, has passed the buck to National Highway Division of the PWD,” said Thakre.

 

Thakre demanded that the PWD officials take strict action against the contractor, impose a hefty penalty for the delay, and initiate a technical audit of the bridge to ensure public safety. Many citizens are raising questions as to whether the flyover was really necessary because most heavy vehicles have to use road under the bridge. Very few trucks operate here, plus people going to any destination towards Amravati either take a bus or the taxis which are parked just below the flyover. Buses too will rarely use the flyover. In that case, for whom the flyover was planned is a million dollar question.