I have always been amazed at the state of roads in Pune, which can be only described as 'dynamic' or 'fluid'. Not a day passes when some road is not being either built or dug. Usually for a particular stretch of any road, these two actions also alternate each other with amazing rapidity. But this one probably is a new record. This road is a few hundred meters away from Suresh Kalmadi's house (just in case you have forgotten, he is the congress candidate from Pune for the next elections). It got a facelift by way of a nice flat-as-flat-can-be layer of tar only three days ago. (Or was it two?) It is so new that it is still the slate grey colour that brand new roads acquire.
Good for the citizens, you might think? WAIT. Here come the diggers and start digging in right earnest.
I don't know whether this is a cruel joke or a novel way of implementing the Employment Guarantee Scheme (so that both the road-builder's and road-digger's family can be happy).
This is surely not the first time that I am seeing this. I once even saw one side of the road being laid with new tar and another man digging exactly the opposite side, in the same space and time coordinates. The guy digging then was unauthorised, he was digging to erect a Ganesh pandal. Of course, that didn't justify his action then. But this? In this case, there is nothing unofficial about a huge JCB machine digging in the middle of the road.
This is not funny. It is actually taxpayer's money being spent senselessly. I am sure Suresh Kalmadi is blissfully unaware of this. I wonder if there is ANYONE there who has a valid explanation for this act of stupidity? If in a hypothetical condition, the voters have to vote in the next election only on the criterion of 'quality of infrastructure (mainly roads), then Suresh Kalmadi wouldn't even manage to retain his deposit.
For those more curious, this is the by-lane of Karve Road, exactly opposite Alurkar Music House.
I don't know whether this is a cruel joke or a novel way of implementing the Employment Guarantee Scheme (so that both the road-builder's and road-digger's family can be happy).This is surely not the first time that I am seeing this. I once even saw one side of the road being laid with new tar and another man digging exactly the opposite side, in the same space and time coordinates. The guy digging then was unauthorised, he was digging to erect a Ganesh pandal. Of course, that didn't justify his action then. But this? In this case, there is nothing unofficial about a huge JCB machine digging in the middle of the road.
This is not funny. It is actually taxpayer's money being spent senselessly. I am sure Suresh Kalmadi is blissfully unaware of this. I wonder if there is ANYONE there who has a valid explanation for this act of stupidity? If in a hypothetical condition, the voters have to vote in the next election only on the criterion of 'quality of infrastructure (mainly roads), then Suresh Kalmadi wouldn't even manage to retain his deposit.
For those more curious, this is the by-lane of Karve Road, exactly opposite Alurkar Music House.
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4 comments:
I was just cribbing to mom about the state of the roads in Mumbai. We live in an area that's a stone's throw away from Mumbai's biggest corporate and administrative hub. There are 3 rows of parked cars at some places. Three! It narrows the roads and slows down the traffic. And it's a pedestrian's nightmare. (It saddens me because I love to walk.) And there are road works going on everywhere in Mumbai for some reason or the other - skywalk, metro, a new flyover... Besides in our cities the different departments have no co-ordination. It sometimes seems that the telephone, water, electricity and other departments take turns at digging the roads.
BTW, I just noticed that you have blogrolled me. I have reciprocated.
this digging and re-digging indeed needs some serious questions. I cant believe Pune is still battling potholes.. I used to be completely flustered and cranky everytime I ventured out on Pune roads.. i used to crib all the time abt the roads.. FC is damn narrow and yet is the 'most happening' one.. jungli maharaj road was forever dug and rebuilt for the 2 years i was there and the road to the university (a little ahead there's a multiplex, i forget it's name)was a disaster.. that the autowalas are mean and take u for a ride didn't help matters either..
Gauri,
The multiplex you refer to is E-square. The flyover opposite that is supposed to make life easier for commuters by 'flying over' university circle signal. However, it is hardly of use to anybody. You would use it only if you are staying at the Raj Bhavan!
The other flyover at Hinjewadi crossing deserves to be included in the Seven Wonders of the World. Now, if you have two roads intersecting each other, which of these would you build a flyover on? Did you guess - "the one with more traffic"? You are wrong!
The flyover there is built on the road which has about 25% traffic as compared to the other!
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