BHUBANESWAR: The delay in repair of the 1-km stretch of road near Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER) in Jagamara area of the city has posed severe inconvenience for local residents and commuters as the route is lying dug up from one end to the other without any signs of completion.
Located on the right side of the ITER campus, the road is the connecting link between Panchadakha Nagar, Dumduma and other nearby areas. Residents alleged the civic authorities, utility agencies and telecom service providers have been frequently digging up the stretch from time to time in the last one year, and leaving it as it is posing commuting challenges on the route. However, neither BMC nor the line departments have lent their ear to their grievances.
“Filled with potholes, open trenches and construction debris, the road has been severely disrupting traffic and daily life of locals, especially during monsoon. The poor drainage condition has added to the plight,” said Jyoti Ranjan, a student from the area.
Echoing similar concerns, Pranati Mishra, a local resident, said while it is nearly impossible for four-wheelers to pass through the route, those travelling on two-wheelers face a lot of hardship due to the road’s poor condition. “Many have also met with accidents as the stretch is ridden with potholes. Due to the poor condition of the road, even our house help has refused to turn up for work during monsoon,” she rued.
“The delay in repair of the road has severely affected daily life of nearly 10,000 residents and commuters in Dumduma, Jadupur, Sarakantara, Cosmopolis and other nearby areas who use the stretch for commute,” said a resident from Panchasakha Nagar locality.
He alleged that substandard work coupled with the digging done for drainage, sewerage line, gas pipe line and optical fibre cable laying has made things worse.
The residents said they have already registered a grievance with the chief minister in this connection, and also taken up the matter with the local corporator, mayor, and Ekamra-Bhubaneswar MLA Babu Singh.
While Singh, who recently visited the area, has assured of taking appropriate measures in this regard, mayor Sulochana Das said the road falls within the jurisdiction of Roads and Buildings (R&B) Division II and BMC is pursuing the matter with them to ensure the stretch is repaired at the earliest for the convenience of people. “To address the concern of the residents, BMC has also taken up a drainage project in the stretch to prevent waterlogging,” the mayor said, while seeking coordination from the line departments to resolve the issue.