SC panel seeks report on city’s potholes

The Supreme Court (SC)-appointed Committee on Road Safety headed by S Sunder has directed Delhi government’s Public Works Department (PWD) to audit all potholes in the national Capital to verify if the rectifications have been made. The panel also sought a  compliance report from the various stakeholders.

The PWD officials have claimed that 3,945 potholes were identified during a special drive and all of them had been rectified.

Taking strong note of lack of a mechanism to monitor the condition of the roads, the Committee has also directed the state government to authorise the transport department to monitor the condition of the roads belonging to all road owning agencies in Delhi.At a high-level meeting that held last week, the SC-appointed Committee has expressed concern on the fatalities occurring due to potholes which are not just a threat to the lives of commuters but also cause congestion on roads.

In the meeting, PWD said that they had conducted a special drive for 15 days and identified 3,945 potholes across the city and all potholes have been rectified. The officials also stated that sometime potholes occur as the roads are to be cut for utilities.

The Committee asked the PWD to lay down a protocol and follow the same at the time of the maintenance of roads.  The PWD officials also informed the committee members that they have a website for lodging complaints by the public throughout the year.

A survey by the School of Planning and Architecture pointed out that overloaded trucks entering Delhi caused the maximum damage to footpaths.

ROADS WITH HOLES

• Road connecting ISBT Kashmiri Gate flyover to Shastri Park intersection.
   
• Road connecting Old Railway Iron Bridge via Marginal Pusta Road to Khajuri Chowk.
   
• Mehrauli-Badarpur road.