Travelling on the 8 km Jharia-Baliapur main road is a nightmare for a large number of commuters as large number of potholes and boulders are dotting its surface. More than one lakh residents of different parts of Jharia, Baliapur, and Nirsa block are compelled to risk their lives to pass through the road in routine.

The worst condition of the road is on the 3 km section from Ghanudih in Jharia to Jairampur in Tisra Police Station area.

The road is still awaiting its concretisation by coal company Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) for several years.

Aggrieved over the situation, local residents in association with a joint front of different trade unions have served an ultimatum to the BCCL management to carry out immediate repair of the road failing which they will be compelled to carry out disruption of coal transportation work from November 30.

Talking to The Telegraph on Thursday, Yuddheshwar Singh, a local resident and area secretary of Bihar Colliery Kamgar Union affiliated to Central Industrial Trade Union said, “Not only the residents of Jharia and Baliapur but also the residents of neighbouring Bengal who visit the Jharia wholesale market using this road face the brunt of a bumpy ride on the road risking their lives.”

“We are demanding the improvement of road condition for the past several years but only the stop-gap arrangement is made by BCCL management by filling the potholes occasionally with stones, earth, and soil which again meets the same fate,” said Singh.

General Manager of Bastacola Area of BCCL in Jharia, Soumen Datta said, “As a large section of the road falls in the coal-bearing area from where smoke arises so we can’t make a permanent structure in the area but we have forwarded a proposal to our headquarters for the comprehensive repair of the road.”

Echoing sentiments Tulsi Rawani, another resident of Jairampur area said, “Though the situation of the road from Jairampur to Baliapur is slightly better as the state government has concretised the road but Ghanudih to Jairampur section is worst hit.”

“A large number of school students on school vans and buses pass through the road, along with ambulances carrying patients from remote areas,” said Rawani.

“After the massive protest carried out in 2017, the BCCL management carried out reconstruction of the road and agreed that they will be carrying out the concretisation of the road after developing a diversion but no headway was made in this regard in the last four years,” said Rawani.

“We will be using WBM technology which also known as Water Bound Macadame technology. Since this involves huge cost, it is taking some time to be cleared but we are hopeful that the project would soon see the ground,” added Datta.