Walk, Drive or Ride at Your Own Risk? Because the New Arya Samaj Road which was just completed recently has Light Poles, Debris, Open Pits, Left-Over Construction materials etc as Obstacles, which put peoples’ lives in DANGER
Mangaluru: If you browse through our website on the history of Arya Samaj Road, Mangaluru, you’ll find a bunch of articles/reports on various issues pertaining to interlock, drainage, footpath, broken water pipes etc- it could be entered in the Guinness Book of World Records! But even after highlighting these civic issues, the so called ‘Smart People’ in Mangaluru Smart City Limited (MSCL) have not learnt by their mistakes, instead continue doing the same, to piss the public and encourage journos like me, to highlight their negligence and carelessness in media. Oh well, aren’t we part of ‘Incredible India’ or ‘Incredible Kudla’?
Not only the roads are dug- all the mud, rocks, dug out debris have been piled up on the road occupying half of the space, causing inconvenience to the motorists and pedestrians. It’s a pathetic scene out there, and one should be ashamed that a growing city like Mangaluru has to be in that kind of situation. Seems like it is in a state where nobody is taking responsibility and being held accountable with the result that having decent footpaths is of least importance. While pedestrians have been demanding even and continuous footpaths at least along main roads, nobody in the MCC have addressed the issue.
Now coming to this article which I am trying to highlight -just look at the completed Arya Samaj Road, a well qualified civil engineer or a architect will laugh at the unscientific and non-standardized way that this road was planned, carried on and now completed – without proper drainage, no footpath, bunch of electric poles blocking the path of the pedestrians/motorists, open pits, debris,construction materials left behind, etc etc- it’s a total mess, on a newly completed and opened for public for use. If you look back, couple of years ago, the administration spent few crores or lakhs in putting up a brand new footpath along the stretch of this road- but it had some beating when the drainage or utility works were carried on- however, when this new project of resurfacing the old road into a concrete road, the entire footpath was destroyed- and it is totally vanished, except at some points you could see portion of the footpath- as remembrance or a souvenir?
When contacted, the site engineer said that the footpath will be laid and also the drainage in the nearest future- but looking at the present situation, there is hardly any space for footpath or drainage. All I could think is, these officials might have some magical power to construct footpath or drainage under such present condition of this Road. When contacted a top official in MSCL said, “Once we get the acquisition done through the MCC we will be able to provide a complete road with all services. Of the two key elements, the UGD is complete and the carriageway is also complete”.
Sunil Gonsalves, a Chartered Accountant residing on this Road said, “First Interlock work road closed for almost six months, then drain work, then drainage work almost 7-8 months, then concrete from November 2019 till date. Now there are no drains and when complaints were raised that water from the roads was entering into our compounds they constructed drains with red stones and placed concrete slabs on it. There is no footpath and the road width is uneven. During the rainy season bikes / cars/ humans are bound to fall into the deep pits”.
Govinda Pai, yet another flat owner on this road said, “Anyone walking on this road at night will surely bump into the light poles. Especially tipplers having a few drinks at the pubs/wine shop located at the end of this road (Balmatta), and walking back home will surely bump into these poles or fall in one of the open pits or ditch. This is a shabby and incomplete road, no matter what. No doubt, money wasted on a project, which is poorly done, and hazardous to pedestrians and motorists”.
Few days ago, due to poor lighting on this road, and in order to avoid a open pit right in the middle of the road, with no proper warning signs or reflector, the driver of a Toyota Innova in order to avoid falling into the pit, resulted in hitting a electric pole and knocking it down, but unfortunately no injuries, but severe damage to the front portion of the vehicle. This is one example, and we will be seeing many such accidents in the future days, unless and until, this road is scientifically and systematically fixed and completed.
Apart from this Arya Samaj Road, it is sad to note that other Major roads have not been cared to make pedestrian-friendly footpaths on the roadside. The prime importance on roads is for pedestrians but sadly in our culture, that is missing. Many of the streets have been mauled. The gradient of footpaths should facilitate easy and comfortable walking for the elderly and handicapped, but sadly our footpaths are broken at several points and never help the pedestrians, and many pedestrians are getting hurt due to dilapidated footpaths. This shows that that the admin has shown utter callousness in constructing a perfect footpath.
Harried commuters in Mangaluru have been slowed down even further by the ongoing maintenance work on major roads across the city to make footpaths. With all the digging, piled up mud/debris etc etc it is very difficult for people/motorists to move around. It’s not just today. It has been going on for a long time now. Even businesses along such dug up roads have been affected by the road work,and one such road which is under extreme-makeover in the Milagres Cross Road- where all the businesses on that stretch of the road are facing hardship with no proper access for their customers.
The vision of the road project is long-term and aims to avoid repeated digging up of roads by different civic agencies. The hope is that the roads will not be dug up again for years as different agencies are meant to be coordinating to finish the laying of pipes and cables that are needed during the during this project. While it is testing the patience of commuters, the project does have its supporters. There should be a new design of roads which are called integrated roads…well-designed footpaths for pedestrians. But there are the delays in the project due to the “contractors not doing an optimal job” as also the lack of “close synchronization in terms of various agencies in the government.
And while authorities claim that the city will soon have world-class roads but citizens can’t help wishing that they don’t have to suffer on unscientific roads. And this Arya Samaj Road is one example of such roads.