Shortage of bitumen has adversely hit recarpeting of roads across the city. With the onset of monsoon, it is unlikely that the work will resume, dashing residents’ hope of getting relief from potholed roads.
Mayor Saurabh Joshi had stated that he had directed the contractors and officials to explore all possible alternatives for procuring bitumen and ensuring uninterrupted execution of work. However, the ground reality is different.
The issue was raised by councillors during the MC General House meeting on Monday. Councillors alleged that over 70% of the allotted recarpeting work was pending due to the shortage of bitumen.
MC officials admitted that the bitumen shortage disrupted the supply chain and slowed down the recarpeting work.
The supply has been affected due to the US-Iran war. The MC is totally dependent on the public sector oil companies for the supply of bitumen.
MC Commissioner Amit Kumar assured the councillors of taking all steps to procure bitumen.
Former Senior Deputy Mayor Jasbir Singh Bunty said the recarpeting work was pending in his area.
Raising the issue during the House meeting, AAP councillor Anju Katyal stated that road recarpeting had not started even as tenders were floated for the work. She added that Chandigarh residents should not suffer due to supply-related challenges. She suggested that the MC could start patch work till bitumen supply was restored.
Monsoon rains had battered city roads last year, causing cave-ins at many places turning them into death traps for commuters. The roads were not recarpeted for the past few years as the MC faced huge financial crisis. Ex-Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla said while the financial crisis was over now and tenders had been floated, the shortage of bitumen had hit the recarpeting work.
The condition of roads in villages and colonies is also poor.
Rain exposes MC readiness for monsoon
The rain on Wednesday exposed the MC preparedness for the monsoon. Rainwater accumulated on roads at many places, causing inconvenience to commuters. The MC has cleaned only 74% of storm water inlets before the monsoon. Only 22,696 out of 30,453 road gullies have been cleaned so far. MC officials said all gullies would be cleaned by the next week.
