The condition of the 6km stretch of the Jharia-Dhanbad road between Shramik Chowk to Katras More in Dhanbad has turned from bad to worse, as potholes are inviting accidents and leading to traffic jams on a regular basis.
Worse, is the scenario of the 100m stretch between Shramik Chowk to Bank More overbridge and another 200m stretch near Bastacola between Aina Kothi and RSP College, as large number of potholes have developed at both the places due to water logging during the recent spell of monsoon rains.
The potholes on the narrow stretch under the railway overbridge near Shramik Chowk are overflowing with water from the adjoining drain.
The poor condition of the Bastacola stretch has been caused due to a leakage from the underground water supply pipeline of the Jharkhand Mineral Area Development Authority (JMADA), and due to an improperly slated road built by contractor Balkrishna Bhalotia.
The 6km stretch of the road between Bank More to Katras More had been fourlaned and strengthened by the state road construction department at a cost of around Rs 44.83 crore in 2015-16.
Potholes on Jharia-Bank mor road at Bastakola, Jharia on Thursday Sourced by the Telegraph
Ownership of the stretch between Shramik Chowk to Bank More Flyover is disputed as State Highway Authority of Jharkhand, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and state Road Construction Department are holding each other responsible for the repair of the road.
“We are working on a project worth Rs 80 crore for the straightening of the 40km road from Bank More to the Purulia Border, part of NH-218, including the 6 km stretch of Bank More to Katras More. The proposal has already been sent to the state’s chief engineer of national highways for approval,” said Amrendra Saha, executive engineer of the road construction department.
Regarding the stretch between Shramik Chowk to Gaya Bridge, a senior officer of the department said, “Though we handed over the road to National Highway Authority of India way back in 2016, we had carried out temporary repairs during the last year on humanitarian grounds and will repair the road again tonight temporarily.”
