RAIPUR: Next time your clothes get dirty due to muddy water in the potholes of Raipur roads, you would know who to curse for. Sorely disappointed over the growing number of potholes on city roads following rains, residents have hit upon a novel idea to name them after local politicians. The idea obviously aims at forcing them to shake off inertia and prod into action on this front.

‘Brijmohan gaddha (pothole),’ ‘Munat gaddha’ and ‘Raman gaddha’ are some of the names they already have in their mind.

“Proper rituals and presence of priests marked the naming ceremony of potholes in various areas of the city. We have named some of the potholes after chief minister Raman Singh , minister of public works department Brijmohan Agrawal and minister of housing and environment Rajesh Munat. The first pothole naming ceremony was held at Subhash Stadium,” said District Congress Committee president Vikas Upadhyay.

“Poor roads and potholes are only adding to the monsoon woes of city residents. Because of low quality construction materials used, even the roads on which heavy vehicles do not ply are in a pathetic condition. Only when people frequently start calling ‘Brijmohan gadda’ ‘Munat gadda’ and ‘Raman gadda’ on encountering potholes, the administration would wake up from its slumber,” he added.

“Every year, when it rains, potholes and craters return to haunt Raipur. Roads turn into a carpet of pebbles literally. Travellers, mainly two-wheeler riders and cyclists, face serious threat to their life as potholes filled with water sometimes go unnoticed. As a concerned citizen, I participated in the naamkaran functions and raise slogans against the politicos and officials concerned who have turned a blind eye to the poor condition of roads on which they too strolled during their childhood. Officials from administration, municipal corporation, PWD must join hands to ensure a hassle-free ride at least during the monsoons next year,” said resident Sheela Tomar.

“Roads in most parts of the city are crying for repair. Commuters dread crossing through Brahmin para, Purani basti, Hirapur, Kota, Gudiyari, Avanti Vihar, Pandri, Gaurav Path, Rajendra Nagar, Mowa, Civil Lines, Jivan Vihar, Telibandha, Tatibandh and other streets after dusk due to potholes. Minor accidents are turning a routine affair in the city,” added Prerna Jha, a resident of Telibandha.

When contacted, superintendent engineer at Raipur Municipal Corporation, Manoj Singh Thakur said, “Full-fledged repair work can take place only after October 15 when the coal tar plants would reopen. They shut down during monsoons and the delivery comes to halt. We will try filling the potholes temporarily while the fresh layer of tar would be poured in mid-September.”

“We construct new roads every year. Though we don’t have a special system in place to track potholes, a proposal has been sent to administration for funds to assess, monitor and renew the roads. Few stretches come under the liability period of contractors and it is their responsibility to fix potholes on them, he added.

“But the big question here is how come the roads leading to posh colonies go unscathed during the monsoons and do not develop potholes on them,” asks Vinita Gupta, a resident of Ashoka Ratna.

