Rain opens up craters, leaves roads battered across Salt Lake
Times of India | 5 August 2024
123 Kolkata: The incessant rain has left stretches of Salt Lake roads battered. With no major repair work for years, the already damaged stretches are crumbling further. Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been receiving funds in phases for road repairs in Salt Lake but with regular rain, the civic body has neither been able to take up full-fledged road repairs nor patch work.
Earlier this year, the civic authorities had repaired a few stretches on the main thoroughfares and some roads inside the blocks. However, locals said there are many stretches across the township where full-fledged repairs have not been taken up for several years.
There are several areas towards the eastern drainage channel and its adjacent spots in Sector III and places on the main thoroughfares in Sectors 1 and II where large craters have developed. Potholes have reappeared due to incessant rain.
In some places, especially where patch work was carried out earlier, there is road subsidence.
Civic authorities said they need a dry spell of at least a week to conduct patch work repairs. “All 41 wards of BMC spreading over Salt Lake and Rajarhat Gopalpur are covered by funds from the road repair scheme. However, we need at least a week’s dry spell to conduct patch work,” said a BMC roads department official.
The New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) is planning to engage agencies to take up repair work of the damaged bituminous black top along several stretches.