Amid mounting public anger over the poor condition of city roads, Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla has assured that the repair and recarpeting work will begin in September, while also stating that the agenda for V3 sector-dividing roads be transferred to the UT will be placed in the upcoming House meeting of the Municipal Corporation (MC). The Mayor admitted that financial issues have delayed projects but said the situation is expected to improve soon.
Over 700 mm of rainfall since June, combined with a lack of road maintenance for the past two years, has left circulation roads, V3 sector-dividing roads, and access roads in a dilapidated state. Sectors 19, 20, 23, 27, 30, 36, 42, 53, 54, the Industrial Area, and several villages are among the worst affected.
Call it lack of maintenance work, or due to heavy rainfall in the city, the residents of various sectors in the city are finding no help from the authorities concerned, and have started working on repairing the road themselves. At several places in Chandigarh, including Manimajra, Bapu Dham, Sector 29, Sector 41, Sector 36, residents were seen filling the pot holes themselves, on Sunday.
“Whenever it rains heavily, waterlogging and potholes make driving miserable. Even the stretch outside Elante Mall, a prime commercial and tourist hub, remains in shambles, leading to frequent traffic chaos,” Anuj Bhalla, a resident of Sector 29, said.
Residents bodies have criticised the civic body for neglecting road upkeep. Hitesh Puri, chairman of CRAWFED, said three-fourths of Chandigarh residents are facing hardship on battered roads despite paying taxes on time. “During rains, water-filled potholes turn into traps for drivers, often leading to accidents. Shortage of funds cannot be an excuse — MC should reserve funds separately for essential works like this,” he stressed.
Vinod Vashisht, convener of the City Forum of Residents Welfare Organisations (CFORWO), said many newly recarpeted roads develop potholes within months due to poor material and lack of quality checks. “This recurring crisis worsens every monsoon. The MC should retain only internal sector roads (V4–V6) and hand over V3 sector-dividing roads to the UT Engineering Department for better upkeep,” he suggested.
Senior Deputy Mayor Jasbir Singh Bunty said that the condition of the city’s roads has deteriorated to such an extent that there seems no need to build speed breakers anymore. Potholes are so widespread that vehicles cannot move beyond 20 kmph. Anyone attempting to drive faster inevitably ends up damaging their vehicle.
The Mayor and the MC concerned authorities need to look at the roads’ condition urgently, and improve the situation, he added.
Meanwhile, Chandigarh Mayor said that estimates are being prepared, tenders will soon be floated, and urgent repair works will be prioritised. “We will get the roads made in September and also bring the agenda of V3 roads in the upcoming House meeting,” she said.
It may be recalled that the MC had earlier considered transferring V3 roads — part of the 2,000 km network under its jurisdiction — to the UT Engineering Department due to a funds crunch, but the proposal was rejected following political opposition in the House.
At present, the MC maintains V3, V4, V5, and V6 roads, while the UT Engineering Department looks after V1, V2, and V7 roads.
Damaged road near PGIMER Chandigarh on Madhya Marg after rain. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh) 
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