Activists rue PMCs patchy job, want potholes fixed at once

PUNE: The civic activists expect the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to do a permanent job with potholes and dug-up roads this year.
In a hurry to finish the task before monsoon, the PMC and contractors are doing a shoddy work, alleged the activists.
The Sajag Nagrik Manch has written to the municipal commissioner urging the civic body to follow guidelines laid down by experts regarding road repairs.With Rs 2 crore allocated for such works by the standing committee, it is up to the civic body officials to ensure proper utilization of funds, the Manch stated.
Taking a cue from the Bombay High Court order making pothole-free roads a fundamental right of all citizens, the Manch has sought accountability, asking the civic body to provide on its website a list of all the roads and potholes that have been repaired with names of officials in-charge and the contractor employed.
This is the simplest way for the municipal commissioner and citizens to catch those defaulting on service, asserts Vivek Velankar of the Sajag Nagrik Manch. "Roads all around the city have been dug up by telephone companies, gas companies, internet providers and PMC's water supply and sewage departments. The PMC has promised to finish all road repair works in the next two weeks, but given the scale of work involved, we doubt if the PMC will be able to do a good job. If it does not follow guidelines laid down by organizations like the Indian Roads Congress, the repairs wouldn't last even a month. Once the monsoon arrives, the potholes will be back in no time," Velankar said.
Questioning the nature and quality of work undertaken by PMC, Velankar said, "The civic body simply sub-contracts all its work to third-party agencies. Officials in-charge don't even supervise the work on site. If citizens are provided the names of officials and contractors assigned to specific roads and areas, it will make it easy to catch those found lacking."
On the poor condition of roads, Velankar said, "Without following the guidelines, the civic body does a third-grade job. It takes just a few spells of rain for all their claims about monsoon-preparedness to get washed away, leaving behind fresh potholes, speed-breakers and other risky patches. The story has been repeating since last many years."
Suraj Rana, a resident of Gokhalenagar, said, "The civic body has taken up major road work on the SB Road. As a result, traffic on one side of the road has been accommodated on the other half of the road. It is difficult not just for motorists passing by the main road, but also for those entering residential lanes with roads blocked at many places. With rains approaching, I fear the civic body will now hurriedly patch up the dug-up areas by refilling the same mud and covering them up with tar."
R V Patil, deputy director (technical) of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC), said that road repairs is a specialized job which requires a proper study of the prevailing conditions. "Different techniques and materials are used at different sites, depending on the condition of roads, nature of traffic among others. Aspects like expected drainage and loading need to be factored in. There are several techniques available to repair roads well, but the local civic body has to identify it carefully," he said.
Pointing out that the Pune Municipal Corporation follows different techniques for road laying and repairs, Vivek Kharwadkar, in-charge of the roads department, said, "As a civic body, we are responsible for all deliveries and proper road conditions. However, to ensure proper storm-water drainage, to avoid rainwater entering houses during rains, we have undertaken certain civic works around the city. However, we are well positioned to complete all pending projects before the monsoon and will be able to provide smooth, pothole-free roads to all citizens."