02 December,2012 01:21 AM IST | | Roma Rao
Motorists and morning walkers who have been complaining about the pathetic condition of the pothole-ridden roads in Aarey Colony were pleasantly surprised on Saturday morning. A small part of the road, which has needed repairs for many years, had been fixed overnight.
A new layer of tar was laid to cover potholes at certain spots at Aarey colony
A training workshop for the Congress Party office bearers was held at the New Zealand Hostel in Aarey Colony yesterday. Many state and senior congress leaders, including P Chidambaram, Salman Khurshid and K Rahman Khan, who were travelling from Delhi, attended the program.
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The Aarey road is owned and maintained by the Dairy Development Department. "The authorities were forced into action overnight because certain VIPs were visiting the area. Only the stretch that the VIPs were to cross has been repaired," alleged an evening walker, on condition of anonymity.
The rest of the 8 km stretch is still full of craters
"We have been using this road for four to five years. Until now, no permanent repair has been done. In the morning, when I came for my walk, I was surprised to see that around 2 km, right from the Aarey Check Post toll naka upto the Modern Bakery junction and New Zealand Hostel junction, was completely fixed. I am sure that the road was repaired only because VIPs were coming," said Rahul K, a Marol resident.
Repair and resurfacing of the road was started on Friday evening. Special care was taken and the work was closely monitored so that the VIPs coming for the workshop wouldn't have to endure bumpy rides.u00a0Every year, before Ganpati Visarajan, the authorities repair the road temporarily, as the route is used for immersion at Chhota Kashmir. However, the potholes reappear soon after. In the past, MiD DAY has also highlighted the issue of the pothole-ridden roads, but authorities did nothing but temporary repair work.
At present, Rs 15 is charged for four wheeler vehicles, Rs 7 for autorickshaws and Rs 5 for two wheelers as toll to use the road one way. When contacted, a senior official working with Aarey confirmed the fact that the road is maintained by Aarey but refused to comment on its present condition. Despite our attempts to contact him, PK Rajput, CEO of Aarey, could not be reached.
