| Only patch work done on roads, ahead of Darbar move | | Govt slashes down City expense budget | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Oct 30: The state government has decreased the City expense budget in Jammu this year, which led the Roads and Building (R&B) department to repair the city roads with patch work only.
The residents of the winter capital of the state, who were eagerly waiting for darbar move, so that the city would get a better shape, are disappointed with R&B department for doing only patchwork on all the roads of the city. The main roads are also being repaired with patch work.
It is pertinent to mention here that the department repairs all the roads of the winter capital every year before darbar move, but this time due to shortage of funds the department is doing only path work.
Subash Chander Gupta, a shopkeeper at Trikuta Nagar said, "This is for the first time the department is doing patch work in Jammu ahead of darbar move, the roads of the city are in critically bad condition after monsoon, it requires complete black top."
"If the monsoon has ripped apart roads which were completely blacktopped last year, what will happen to these patchworks in next monsoon," he added.
Sushil Mehta, a commuter said, "The patch work is as good as the potholes, which makes the drive more jumpy."
"At least once in a year the road should be blacktopped completely," he added.
Superintending Engineer, PWD (R&B) said, "The city expense has been cut by more than 60 percent this year, we are instructed to do the patchwork only. We usually gets Rs 35 crores for City expense, but this year less than Rs 15 crores have been sanctioned for city expense."
"We always do complete blacktop but the NBCC and ERA works dig out all the roads every year, now we have decided to do only patch work till the sewage work gets completed," he added.
As per the official sources, it requires about Rs 45 crores to blacktop all the roads of the city, but the department is doing the patchwork with approximately Rs 13 crores. The department is also painting the footpaths and zebra crossings on the roads.
The Civil Secretariat has been closed in the summer capital and it will re-open in Jammu on October 4. |
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