No straight road to travel in rural stretches

The past monsoons,rampant digging and construction have taken their toll — resulting in cracks and depressions and restricting usable space.

While Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely has directed bus depot managers to prepare a report on roads that are in a bad shape,the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD),in its budget for the last fiscal year,had earmarked Rs 25 crore to repair rural roads. But the work on ground has been minimal and only Rs 3.97 crore have been spent so far.

In its new budget,the MCD has a revised plan of action for all 82 roads under its jurisdiction in view of the coming Commonwealth Games. The plan lays special emphasis on strengthening rural roads. According to MCD spokesperson Deep Mathur,the civic body has decided to use German technology to build the roads,ensuring their longevity. The smooth,pothole-free surface is expected to last for over two decades.

“The compaction,uniform thickness and surface smoothness will be ensured through mechanical pavers. The texturing of the surface will be done by advanced technological means,” said Mathur. The expansion joints will have iron-rods to ensure strength,uniformity and smoothness.

The MCD has selected 32 roads spread over 12 zones for the first phase of the project,which is likely to be implemented within a month. In most cases,the tender process is over. “After the implementation of the German technology,the civic body will monitor the condition of the roads,” Mathur said. “Subsequently,the technology will be used on a wider stage.”

On 68 roads prone to waterlogging,the MCD will use cold milling technology to remove deficient surface. It will provide ready-mixed concrete surface,creating a thin bituminous layer.

The use of plastic material has also been proposed,which increases the longevity of the road by over 50 per cent.

Roads visited

Badarpur-MB Road: Bus numbers 405,460,522,544 ply on this route,covering areas like Mori Gate,Minto Road,Wazirpur,Khanpur,Punjabi Bagh and R K Puram Sector 1

Tilak Nagar-Karampura terminal: Bus numbers 234 ext,588 ply,covering Harsh Vihar,JLN Stadium

Uttam Nagar terminal: Bus numbers 724,740 covering areas like Anand Vihar bus terminal,Nehru Place and Dwarka Sector 14 Hari Nagar clock tower: Bus numbers 73,680 extn,Outer Mudrika,234,73,covering areas like Uttam Nagar,Secretariat,Hamdard Nagar and Anand Vihar