The pot hole roads

Its a common view in Bangalore and many parts of India where you find not only potholes but deadly holes where road would have caved in. They are not only a hazard but also deadly for anyone driving in the night or in rain would have no idea what lies for the hapless passenger or driver.

These caves or holes of death are a cause of many untimely deaths and accidents which we read in newspapers. But what’s shocking and also saddening is the lack of accountability on the part of the civic bodies or even part of contractors who build such roads. We know that roads are one of the main arteries of city traffic but still we try to build all our secondary infrastructure around it. Be it the sewage lines running in the middle of the road, or the underground metros which are built without much survey or be it the many underground electricity or water or telephone lines that run through the sides of the road.

When roads are made I am not sure even any capacity planning is done for the road or any demarcation is done as to what kind of vehicles can run on it and even sometimes the seasons that are chosen for digging the road are so illogical. And when the road is dug it is left for the Almighty god to fill it and when the digging is filled its even a bigger disaster than the original digging. And when asked the never ending ball rolling of who should fix the road begins.

Today’s news of a portion of Anna Salai road in Chennai caving in and a car and bus and car in that hole only reminded me in what kind of apathetic condition we citizens live where risks to roads and the land under us can be shaken not by earth quakes but because of short sightedness of humans. It also reminded the days when the Delhi metro work was going on and how accidents were regularly reported.

And it reminds me of the fruitlessness of comparing our country to be a developed country like Japan where within few hours they fixed a huge road cave in caused by earth quake and when it caved in again it was again fixed in quickly.

In the end I only wish as citizens we ask questions for accountability from the government and our elected representatives as to why such life we have to live with hazards when we are expected to contribute to the development and growth of this country.