RECONSTRUCTION OF LINK ROAD IS GOING ON SNAIL’S PACE

RECONSTRUCTION OF LINK ROAD IS GOING ON SNAIL’S PACE

21-AUG-ENG 3

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA-----------------------------The Koelwar-Doriganj link highway which connects Patna-Buxar four lane to Hajipur-Chhapara four lane, has started cracking at many places. This is the situation when plying of vehicles has not started on this road. People are aggrieved with the poor quality of road construction. Even the drivers of sand laden trucks passing through this four lane road said that due to poor construction, this road started cracking as soon as it was built. When transportation starts on this road, it will not bear the weight of the trucks carrying heavy sand and the purpose for which the government is reconstructing this road does not seem to be being achieved.

The length of this four-lane link road connecting Patna National Highway to Hajipur-Chhapara National Highway via Babura bridge is about 21 kilometers. This approach four lane was constructed along with the Ganga Bridge at Babura. This path was constructed in 2016-2017. After which the indiscriminate operation of sand trucks spoiled the life of this road. Huge potholes were formed on this 20-22 kilometer four lane approach road after which the then Secretary, Road Construction, it was decided to make the down lane of this four lane road PCC while the UP lane will be back pitched.

The reconstruction of this four lane approach road was started in June-July last year. Now is has been more than a year since the work started but it is still to be completed. Even after more than a year, the PCC work on the down lane of this road has not been completed and the work on the UP lane has not even started.

This is the situation when sand mining and operations were stopped for three months last year. Due to which the road was completely empty. Local residents of the area said that there were many occasion in the last year when there was almost no transport on this road. At present sand mining has been stopped since June 15, 2024.

Supervisor of Rajan Construction, a construction company present at the site, got embarrassed when asked about the condition of the road. Giving absurd answer, he said that even if a man makes a house, it cracked and it is a road. The mastic is yet to be cast on it and after the mastication is done, the crack will be filled with new casting.

On the issue of cracks in the new casting, the villagers said that there was negligence in filling the bottom before casting and also not enough soil was put in the road bed due to which the soil below the road got washed away in the rain and the cracks appeared in the road.

Traffic on this road is being affected due to the reconstruction of the road. Owing to construction in one lane, vehicles on both sides are running in the same lane while the condition of that lane is also very bad.