BHOPAL: Digging of roads for infrastructure works like the smart city development and laying of the Narmada pipeline, among others, is giving commuters a tough time on the roads of the state capital. Going by norms, a road that is dug should be repaired within 10 days. However, the delay in the repair works is causing much heartburn for the commuters, who often have a bump ride even on the best-maintained roads.After heavy rains inundated the city in 2016, the then district collector had directed that various agencies should coordinate and share their development plans. This lack of coordination is often cited in coordination meetings of the district administration.A case in point is the construction of a road near MP Vidhan Sabha that began earlier this week. The construction began after two years for the stretch from Malviya Nagar to the secretariat. However, less than a week after the road was constructed, a sizeable patch along the side has been dug up for smart city development.“There is little or no coordination between the agencies. A perfectly laid road will deteriorate in no time. It is also waste of public money,” said Anish Singh , a retired government servant.The new stretch, which connects to the state assembly was also dug up for laying of pipeline ahead of the road construction. Even as a stream of fast-moving traffic flows on the steep track, the ditch has not yet been filled up properly.“I have seen four accidents due to this ditch. Driving down the hill, one cannot anticipate the bump and two-wheelers loose control. The entire three-kilometre road has been re-laid, except for this patch in the middle,” said Santosh Sharma , a businessman. On Monday, ahead of VVIP movement, a smart city contractor was told to fill the pit with rubble.Laying of cable for smart city development corporation’s intelligent street lighting is causing huge bumps for commuters on major intersections across the state capital. “Work on laying of fibre optic cable from Roshanpura to Rangmahal intersection began earlier in March. More than three weeks have passed since, but filling has not taken place,” said Asim Boara , a businessman.“The situation has been brought to our notice. Corrective action would be taken,” said Bhopal smart city development corporation limited (BSCDCL) CEO Chandramauli Shukla.BMC carries out a limited number of tasks, which is less than 15% of all works being undertaken in the city. “We have instructed all contractors and officials to complete tasks before the onset of monsoon,” said a BMC official. He added that PWD and other agencies are responsible for most of the initiatives.When contacted, PWD officials did not respond. Roads maintenance is primarily entrusted with the Public Works Department (PWD) and Capital Project Authority (CPA). Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) is responsible for the interior roads.“We have instructed the agencies to carry our repair works in coordination with others. The stretches that have been affected by delay on construction will be repaired,” said BMC mayor Alok Sharma.

Stay updated with all the Bhopal Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.