ROADS AT ARA TURN INTO DEATH TRAP

ROADS AT ARA TURN INTO DEATH TRAP

28-AUG-ENG 2

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA-------------------------The tall claims of the government of good and world class roads in districts of Bihar, the ground realities belied the claims and almost all the roads, said to be the arteries of communication, in Bhojpur district particularly at Ara, the headquarter of the district in dilapidated condition due to indifferent attitude of the officials of the district administration and even the local MP and MLAs.

Almost all the roads at Ara have once again become deplorable particularly the condition of road from Station road to the Judge Kothi via Canal Department is very pathetic as the road is full of ditches. Vehicles are hiccupping and pedestrains are having trouble in communicating it but the roads have not been repaired so far despite the fact that the senior officials including the Bhojpur DM and the SP pass through the road daily.

The government makes tall promises regarding roads but it proved to be an eye wash. A cosmetic repairing of this road was done about one and half a year ago after a lot of uproar, the condition of the road became pitiable in a few months. This road is just one kilometer long and over 50 pits appeared on the road which is very dangerous causing the tyres of the vehicles explode and even the pedestrians meet accident almost daily. What may the condition of other roads in the district if the roads at the headquarters is so pitiable, it may be gauged easily.

Crores of rupees are spent every year for the repair of the roads but the situation is worse. As per the rules of the road construction department, every road should be repaired and maintained annually so that the roads remain in good shape and there is no problem in communicating them.

The condition of many roads is quite pathetic. Somewhere small and somewhere big potholes are exposing the administration’s claim of good roads. According to government figures, there are 17 major roads in the Ara Municipal Corporation area. Apart from this, there are many roads too at Ara but Road Construction Department is reluctant to repair these roads.

The locals made clamour for the repair and construction of dilapidated roads and accused the former AMC government, ward councilors and contractors. At that time, at the initiative of the Union Energy Minister and local MP Raj Kumar Singh, an inquiry committee was constituted to inquire into the irregularities in the construction of roads and embezzlement of fund provided by the Urban Development Department but no report has come so far. The officers in the inquiry committee were transferred elsewhere and the matter was covered up and no action was taken on this. Cosmetic repairing of some roads was just an eye wash though the rest of the road remained as before. Lakhs of hard earned money of people were looted and people are still forced to walk only on broken roads. From railway station to Krishi Bhawan via Sone Canal Bhawan to K G Road, Adarsh Colony, PNB’s LDM office to Nawada Police Station, the condition of roads is quite pathetic. Pits have been made in them. Movement is difficult but no action is being taken and people are doomed to suffer a lot.

Besides, the roads are dug by the Bhojpur district administration for laying the cables, gas pipes and water pipes creating problems for the people but never bother to repair them. Surprisingly, whenever a road is repaired, it is dug and damaged in the name of laying of electric cable, gas pipelines and water pipes.