By Sunil Sonker
Mussoorie, 5 Jan: Serious questions have been raised about the quality of road construction carried out by the Public Works Department (PWD) on Motilal Nehru Marg, one of the main roads in Mussoorie, at a cost of crores of rupees. This road, built from Mussoorie Gandhi Chowk to Dhumanganj via Motilal Nehru Marg, has started to crumble within just a few months, revealing layers of departmental negligence and potential corruption. According to local residents, a retaining wall on the main road collapsed during heavy rains in September, damaging more than half of the road. Surprisingly, even after more than three months since the incident, the retaining wall has not been reconstructed. Vehicles and pedestrians continue to use the damaged road daily, posing a risk of a major accident at any time.
The condition of the road from Waverly Convent School to Dhumanganj is also extremely worrying. The road is broken at several places, and the safety railings installed along the edges are also damaged. School children, parents, and local residents are forced to risk their lives every day while using this road, but no concrete action is being taken by the PWD officials.
Local citizens say that the government recently sanctioned a huge budget for the reconstruction of Motilal Nehru Marg, but the quality of work was so poor that the road did not even last two to three months. People allege that the contractor used substandard materials in the construction of the road, causing it to be damaged in a single rainy season.
Local residents have levelled serious allegations against departmental officials and elected representatives, saying that those involved in corruption are squandering the hard-earned money of the government and the public. They warned that, if the damaged road and embankment are not repaired soon and action is not taken against those responsible, a public movement will be launched.
Pradeep Shahi, a junior engineer of the Public Works Department, said that the embankment construction work was awarded to the concerned contractor, but due to the contractor’s ill health, the work could not be completed on time. He said that the quality of the work is being inspected, and if the contractor fails to complete the work on time or if any shortcomings in quality are found, action will be taken against him as per the rules. He also clarified that there will be no compromise on quality.
However, despite the departmental explanation, the question remains whether the safety of the public and a multi-crore rupee project can be left in limbo simply because the contractor is unwell? In a tourist town like Mussoorie, dilapidated roads are not only a threat to the local people but are also negatively impacting the city’s image. Now it remains to be seen when the Public Works Department wakes up from its slumber and when action is taken against those responsible.
