Neglect takes toll on Sohna Road

NEW DELHI: For thousands of commuters taking the Ballabhgarh-Sohna road is a nightmare even as they pay toll charge to use this stretch for a promised smooth drive. There are several craters on the road which are perpetually filled with muck. Accidents are common at two spots in Alampur in Faridabad where the road has been damaged extensively in the past two months.
"We have been complaining to the private developer that they must carry out maintenance. But nothing has happened. Everyday some autorickshaws carrying passengers overturn. This morning one such vehicle carrying girl students met the same fate," said Juber, who runs a motor mechanics shop in Alampur. TOI team travelled through the stretch on Monday.
Gurgaon Faridabad Toll Road Pvt Ltd (GFTR), a fully-owned subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure Ltd has been operating and managing the 28.58 km toll road since June 2012. It has got the authority to collect toll till 2026.
Many of the other locals spoke of the daily problems they face on this stretch. "We don't dare to take the road at night. There is kilometre-long traffic jam within minutes of any truck getting stuck at the damaged spots. Since the drains built for carrying run off water have been choked, there is waterlogging. Why should people pay toll when the company is not even maintaining the road?" asked Aamir Khan, another villager of Alampur.
When this paper took up the issue with Mahesh Kumar, engineer-in-chief of Haryana PWD, he told TOI that order would be issued to start maintenance within the next two days. "They have bagged this project with the condition to maintain the riding quality and to charge toll. There will be action," he assured.
A spokesperson of GFTR said that they have prepared comprehensive estimate for immediate and anticipated repair and work "shall start shortly."
While the company claimed that the condition of the road at village Alampur has deteriorated "very recently", Chandan Sackhuja, a resident of Khori, said the road has not been maintained for the past three years. "There are 50 badly designed speedbreakers on this small stretch. Overloaded trucks ply throughout the day with loads of at least 45-50 tonnes carrying stone boulders and other raw material for industry. It's practically a 'no-go' stretch for private vehicles," he added.
The GFRT spokesperson also put the blame on overloaded trucks plying on this stretch as the road has not been designed for such axle load. "Maximum damage is in the vicinity of speedbreakers which have been illegally constructed by the locals and the district administration," he added.