Patchwork repairs that were carried out a few days ago on some of Salt Lake’s roads have started to wear out.
The repairs, undertaken by the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC), were done by pouring a layer of bitumen mixture made of stone chips and asphalt into the potholes and then levelling the surface by running a road roller over it.
However, potholes started reappearing in less than a week on several stretches of roads in Salt Lake.
Patchwork repairs were carried out on the road in front of the Salt Lake stadium’s gate number 1 (which meets with EM Bypass), a portion of First Avenue (near the Punjab National Bank island) and roads inside several blocks, among other stretches.
On most of these stretches, the bitumen mix that was laid during the repairs has started to disintegrate, resulting in a layer of loose stone chips strewn on the road.
Patchwork repairs were carried out on the road in front of the Salt Lake stadium’s gate number 1 (which meets with EM Bypass), a portion of First Avenue (near the Punjab National Bank island) and roads inside several blocks, among other stretches.
The stone chips have turned these stretches dangerous for motorists and pedestrians alike. Vehicles tend to skid when brakes are pressed on the roads layered with loose stone chips. Also, stone chips fly around when vehicles pass over them, putting pedestrians and others at risk.
The BMC had decided to undertake patchwork road repairs as a quick-fix solution before the Puja in Salt Lake and adjoining areas such as Teghoria, Kestopur, Baguiati, Chinar Park and parts of Rajarhat.
Last week, The Telegraph had spotted labourers hired by the BMC pour construction waste into craters in front of the Salt Lake stadium’s gate number 1 before laying a mixture of bitumen and stone chips.
Another stretch that this newspaper spotted being repaired was the one that leads to the AJ Block.
On Sunday, the surface on both these stretches showed signs of disintegration.
“We carried out patchwork repairs because of time constraints but in some places they have started wearing out. We will carry out fresh repairs,” said BMC mayor Krishna Chakraborty.
This newspaper has reported on multiple occasions about the sad state of roads in the township.
A senior official of the BMC’s road repairs department said they were asked to undertake only patchwork repairs because there were not enough funds to carry out fullscale repairs.
“We don’t remember the last time the broken surface of a road was scraped and a fresh layer of asphalt laid. This time, too, they carried out patch work in front of the stadium and the repairs did not last even a week,” said Subhodeep Bhattacharya, a resident of IA Block, who lives near the stadium.
Deputy mayor Anita Mondal, who is in charge of road repairs, said each of the 41 wards had been allocated Rs 10 lakh to carry out “necessary urgent repairs before the Puja”.
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