Roads tarred with the same brush!

THE HIGHWAY AND BYWAYS

By OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, July 14: It seems that the highways and byways in Guwahati that were given a facelift overnight on the eve of the Prime Minister’s visit to the city on May 26, 2017 were tarred with the same brush. The first few spells of rains were enough to wash the blacktops of the roads away.

Several city roads, including the stretches from Ganeshguri Flyover to Rajdhani Mahjid, were blacktopped overnight on the eve of the Prime Minister’s recent visit to the city. Barely a month and a half have been elapsed after the blacktopping of the roads, but bitumen, stone chips, cement and sand used while blacktopping the roads have already been washed away, laying bare the shoddiness of the work. Many potholes have appeared on the stretches, but, local people say, none from the authority takes steps to repair them. This stretch of the road is very crucial as it leads to the main gate of the Assam Legislative Assembly as well as to the MLA Hostel. Neither the State PWD Minister nor the local MLA was seen to have inspected the busy road ever, they said. “If a road near the Assam Assembly that makes laws and debates on developmental issues, including road infrastructure, wears such a look one can easily surmise the condition of roads elsewhere in the city and the State,” said a commuter.

That road projects worth Rs 100 crore awaiting construction due to lack of stone chips and sand in the city is a matter different altogether. However, what does blacktopped roads giving up the blacktopping material after a month or so smack of? People blame it on lack of political will for the plight of roads in the city.