Residents raised safety concerns after a cemented stretch of the Lohara Road was damaged amid scorching heat. Additionally, the stretch was only recently built, posing questions on durability of the infrastructure.
Residents expressed “shock” as the road surface suddenly cracked open, bulging from the middle, on May 20. They described it to be “almost like an underground explosion”.
Locals said the situation led to panic and traffic disruptions on one of the busy roads connecting Eastman Chowk, Sua Road, Jaspal Bangar, Kanganwal and Giaspura areas.
This is not the first such case in the city. A similar incident occurred last month in HM Colony, Jamalpur.
Municipal Corporation (MC) officials have already scraped the damaged portion to begin repair work. However, commuters continue to face inconvenience due to the dug-up stretch and traffic congestion.
Locals questioned the quality of construction material. Some residents claimed that unlike other cemented roads where iron reinforcement is visible, the damaged road did not appear to have adequate strengthening support.
Raju Gupta, a local, said commuters were frightened after witnessing the sudden damage. He said thousands of vehicles pass through the stretch daily, and the damaged portion could lead to major problems.
MC executive engineer Raman Kaushal said rising temperatures were one of the reasons behind cracks developing on cemented roads. He said the road was constructed around two years ago and the department was now working on ensuring repairs at the earliest.
According to officials, cemented roads were introduced to tackle frequent damage seen in bitumen roads, especially during rains.
However, officials said cemented roads had their limitations as underground seepage and sewer leakages were difficult to detect beneath cemented surfaces, unlike bitumen roads where such problems become visible on the surface comparatively easily.
