Slip road near Bhandari Bridge riddled with potholes, in urgent need of repairs

The slip road along the Bhandari Bridge extension leading towards the railway station is in a dilapidated condition. The huge potholes were never repaired by the authorities who have turned a blind eye to the problem.

The stretch has become a cause of accidents also, especially during rains when the commuters are unable to see these potholes and their vehicles bump into the ‘invisible’ potholes.

Kewal Kumar, a shopkeeper along the roadside, said that the authorities never bother to actually repair the road and always resort to temporary arrangements by doing patchwork.

“Since the opening of the Bhandari Bridge extension around seven years ago, the problem was hardly addressed. During rains, the water from the Bhandari Bridge got accumulated on the stretch, which led to the deterioration of the road’s condition,” he pointed out.

Visibly dejected, he said nothing would happen no matter how many pictures you click and give to the media.

Until and unless the authorities address the problem of waterlogging on the stretch, it would remain a black spot leading to road mishaps, said another shopkeeper. The commuters travelling on two-wheelers are at the receiving end as sometimes they end up getting injured.

Ramesh Chand, an auto-rickshaw driver, said traffic going from Bhandari Bridge to railway station using the slip road is the worst affected. “Whenever water gets accumulated on the road, the huge potholes become ‘invisible’. There is always a fear of e-rickshaw losing balance and falling by the wayside, causing injuries to the passengers,” he said.

Gulpreet Singh Aulakh, Municipal Commissioner, said that that the new concrete road would be laid at the stretch soon.

Amritsar