EXPLAINER: How pothole-free certificates will expedite repair of roads

With a view to assess the condition of roads and streamline the official procedure for their repair and maintenance, Rohtak Deputy Commissioner Sachin Gupta has directed the road-construction authorities to submit certificates for pothole-free roads and a time frame for the repair of the damaged ones. Meanwhile, residents maintain that the issuance of the said certificates and other official paper work must be backed by concrete action so that the pothole-free roads actually exist on the ground and not merely on paper.

What is the idea behind the issuance of pothole-free road certificates?

The move for the issuance of pothole-free road certificates is part of a 7-point programme aimed at making Rohtak a beautiful city under the theme of ‘Clean, Green and Bright Rohtak’. The first point of the said programme is ‘Sadak Surakshit’, which entails 100 per cent pothole filling of motorable roads, patch repair and black-topping of major roads, thermoplastic zebra crossings, lane markings and stop lines, repair of shoulders, manhole covers and uneven surfaces, joint inspections and geo-tagged certification.

How is the district administration going about the project?

Rohtak Deputy Commissioner Sachin Gupta has directed the officers of road-construction departments to issue certificates confirming that all city roads are pothole-free. The underlying idea behind the exercise is to assess the condition of roads maintained by different departments and expedite the repair and reconstruction work.

How is the issuance of certificates expected to expedite the repair of roads?

The issuance of pothole-free road certificates will fix the accountability of different departments like PWD (B&R), the Municipal Corporation and the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) regarding the repair and maintenance of different roads. It will also fix a specific time frame for the repair work. Moreover, personal monitoring of the work by the Deputy Commissioner would put pressure on the officials concerned.

Is this for the first time that such a move has been conceptualised?

Executive Engineer Arun Kumar of the PWD (B&R) wing in Rohtak maintains that they have issued such certificates earlier as well. The excessive rainfall this year has caused extensive damage to the city roads, he points out.

 How can the residents inform the authorities about the bad and broken roads in their areas?

The residents can lodge written complaints in this regard at the departments concerned as well as Samadhan Shivirs organised at all district and subdivision headquarters on all Mondays and Thursdays from 10 am to 12 noon.

Is there an online portal or mobile application on which the residents can lodge complaints regarding road-related issues?

The Haryana Government has a web portal and a mobile application named ‘Mhari Sadak’ to facilitate the residents. It is an official complaint redressal/dashboard initiative by the Haryana Government to empower the citizens in reporting road-related issues directly to the authorities concerned.

How does the portal/app work?

The portal/app provides a platform for the citizens to register their complaints about damaged roads, potholes and other road maintenance needs. The citizens can upload their complaints along with photographs and location details and track the progress of their complaints real time. Once a complaint is registered, it is automatically forwarded to the engineers of the respective road-owning department. The Executive Engineer concerned then carries out the necessary repairs and uploads photographic evidence of the work completed. The complaint is subsequently verified by a supervisor before being marked as closed.

What is the take of the residents regarding the matter?

Residents point out that the complaint-redressal mechanism notwithstanding, many roads continue to be in a dilapidated condition. They maintain the issuance of directions to the officials concerned for the submission of pothole-free road certificates is a welcome step, provided it is backed by concrete action and does not remain confined to papers.

Haryana Tribune