Injury, death beckon from open manholes in city
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Lucknow: For many Lucknow residents, walking or commuting on vehicles on Mahatma Gandhi Marg, or roads in Alambagh, Gomtinagar, Uthratia and several other areas has become a daily peril.
Open, damaged and poorly maintained manholes and pits dug for electricity wires are turning footpaths into danger zones, putting pedestrians at serious risk.A reality check by TOI revealed multiple uncovered or broken manholes across key areas. One of the worst-hit stretches is Mahatma Gandhi Marg, where a newly built footpath, part of the ambitious Smart City Project, is now riddled with hazards. Pedestrians who were promised a safer walk are now forced to navigate a minefield of open manholes and crumbling pavement.River Bank Colony resident Suresh Sonker, 52, raised concerns about the deteriorating condition of the footpath on Mahatma Gandhi Marg. "The manholes are lying open for over a month now and we have to be extremely careful while walking there, especially at night," he said.60-year-old Suman Awasthi, who enjoys walking along the Kargil Shaheed Park, said, "The broken footpath with open manholes make every stroll feel risky as if we misstep, we could fall in and it could be fatal." Resident of Alambagh near Vaishno Devi Temple, Rakesh Verma, said, "I saw accidents happen regularly, but no one listens to our complaints. Drains overflow, manholes are often left open and mosquitoes breed everywhere. The stench is unbearable. We're forced to cover the manholes ourselves just to make the roads safer. Children and elderly people are at constant risk. Who's going to take responsibility if someone falls and gets hurt?"Situation in Gomtinagar, city's upscale neighbourhood, is no better. Residents report open manholes being left uncovered for weeks, often marked only by a stray branch or cloth. Regular commuter Ajay Tandon said, "We pay taxes for development, not to dodge death on sidewalks."In Uthratia, another open manhole has become a focal point of concern. Without streetlights in the area, it's almost impossible to see after dark. A local vendor, Satish, said, "It's pitch dark there, with no streetlights and someone could fall into the manhole and get seriously hurt."Additional municipal commissioner Pankaj Srivastava said, "The problem has come to our notice and we will form a team to conduct a survey of the damaged and open manholes. Repair work will be carried out in the city soon."
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