Finally, Smart City Officials to Concretize Arya Samaj Road the SMART WAY…..& We Hope So?

By
Alfie Dsouza, Team Mangalorean.
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Finally, Smart City Officials to Concretize Arya Samaj Road the SMART WAY…..& We Hope So?

Mangaluru: If you look at the earlier article links at the bottom of this report, you’ll know how many times I have done articles pertaining to Arya Samaj Road. This road has been dug again and again several times after it was completely interlocked a few years ago, either to lay a new footpath, UGD or Drainage etc. And recently it was completely torn to lay a new UGD, and after that, the contractors left the road in a mess that during the recent monsoon, the entire stretch of the road was like a dirt track or a slushy field- making it miserable for the motorists and pedestrians to use the road.

Once a nice looking road layered with interlock bricks couple of years ago, but the recent situation of Arya Samaj Road is very shameful to explain, however, if you describe the condition of this stretch of the road, it is nothing but in SHAMBLES, PATHETIC and very DISGRACEFUL, and totally DISASTROUS? Heavy rains, along with heavy traffic taking this route had formed a worse-case scenario for repair crews who are struggling to find and fix all the emerging potholes. But did they do the job right? I don’t think so. Throwing some loose stuff in a hole and just hoping the traffic driving over it will fix it, did not serve the purpose. The evidence did prove otherwise. I think the only way to solve the present condition of Arya Samaj Road was to lay a two-layered concrete road with a seal coat.

Instead of fixing this road first, our MCC officials were busy resurfacing inner-lanes with brand new interlock bricks. But when it comes to fixing the bad roads they are slow and careless. As long as cheap quality tar is being used and layered too thinly, we will continue to have these problems every year. It’s an obvious pattern and I wonder why nobody is looking into this, or better yet, our city officials should visit other metropolitan cities in India or other countries and see how they are coping with this matter.

Driving on Mangaluru streets, and for that matter, even on the outskirts of the City, is like an obstacle course. Drivers keep swerving and maneuvering to make sure they miss every pothole. These potholes have also worsened the chronic traffic jams which Mangalureans face every day, and anyone who has had the misfortune of commuting on these streets will testify what a great pain the ride is – literally – owing to the numerous potholes that punctuate the road. I bet a ride on this stretch is akin to a ride on a ‘camel’s back- just bumpy!

But we have good news now, that Smart City Development Project has taken up the task in resurfacing/redoing the entire stretch of Arya Samaj Road. Earlier all the work done on Arya Samaj Road was undertaken by MCC, and they all happened to be unscientific and shabby. So at least the residents living on this stretch of the road can have a relief that these roads will be done a proper way and in a SMART WAY, which is under the Smart City Development Project. Once again the residents living on this stretch of the road have to bear the inconveniences for nearly 2-3 months until the work is done.

Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Er Arun Prabha KS, the General Manager(Tech), Mangalore Smart City Ltd. stated “The Arya Samaj Road will be provided with Concrete and will have duct provisions for all the services. The new underground drainage has already been completed for half of the stretch and the balance half will be taken up now. The present contractor is resourceful and will complete the stretch in two to three months time. He has assured that inconvenience to residents will be minimum and once completed there will not be further digging as all services will be laid underground or will have a provision in ducts”. Seems like good news for the ASR residents and also to others who take this road frequently.

But sadly all these years, the taxpayers’ money spent on various works done on Arya Samaj Road has gone down the drain-oh well! Hoping that the present work is undertaken by the “SMART OFFICIALS of the “SMART CITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT” will be in a “SMART WAY”? Thank You.

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1 Comment

  1. Nowhere in the world, underground drainage lines are laid under a concrete road. This is Mangalore Smart city with dumb ideas. Long live the smart city dispensation full of …… screwing our city

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