First rain spell exposes unfinished sewer work, bad roads in Hudkeshwar-Narsala

Time of India

4 days ago

Nagpur: The first monsoon rain has exposed the poor state of road restoration in Hudkeshwar-Narsala area, where major sewer line work is underway under the Rs900 crore Amrut 2.0 Pora River Pollution Abatement Project.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is laying and strengthening over 500km sewerage pipelines across south and south-west Nagpur assembly constituencies. However, despite public health engineering (PHE) department claims that road restoration was on schedule and up to standards, residents find themselves struggling on muddy, damaged roads months after pipe-laying was completed.
Contractors dug up several internal roads in Hudkeshwar-Narsala around 3-4 months ago to lay sewer pipelines.
While the pipeline work was finished, the PHE department assured that all roads would be restored immediately using proper cement concrete or tar patches. However, these assurances have proved hollow. The roads remain unrepaired with loose soil filling the trenches, which the recent rains have turned into slippery mud traps.
Pedestrians face difficulties walking, and vehicles, especially two-wheelers, are at risk of slipping.
Several accidents and vehicle breakdowns have already been reported.
Local residents accused the contractor of abandoning the road restoration midway and shifting focus to new work elsewhere. The residents' committee, led by chairman Dhanraj Valukar and secretary Satish Kasare, issued a warning of agitation if the roads are not repaired immediately. "Despite repeated complaints, the PHE department and contractors have ignored our plight.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Their tall claims of timely restoration are exposed by the current state of the roads," said Valukar.
Other committee members, including Dattraj Hanvate, Sunita Damle, Kiran Ramteke, and activist Mangesh Charde, added that the negligence is causing serious inconvenience and safety hazards.
Municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari has issued an ultimatum to the PHE, its public works departments and contractors to ensure all dug-up roads are restored to their original condition. The NMC sought technical guidance from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), which recommended two standard methods for restoring tar and cement concrete roads after pipeline work. However, these guidelines are reportedly being ignored.