With the rise in temperature after prolonged winter and present lockdown allowing construction activities to continue, people are hopeful that concerned departments will start repairing roads as most of them across Kashmir Valley are in a deplorable state, giving motorists and pedestrians’ tough times.
While some roads have been ignored for a long time, most were battered by last year’s heavy snowfall and more so by the means employed by the administration like JCB etc to clear them.
Without any doubt, the severe winter conditions cause breaking up and shattering of the road surface due to seepage and frost action. Means of clearance are pathetic also. How well these roads can be protected from the weather vagaries is for the concerned department engineers and the government to work out. In the last several decades, no thought has apparently gone to address it and perhaps it needs a look into, particularly to find out if the problems lie beyond or including compaction, and surfacing etc. The top functionaries of concerned departments have time and again said that there would be no compromise on the quality of work. The statement though assuring remains restricted to paper only. All the concerned need to find out if insufficient or poor quality material is used in the construction. Not only the Macdamisation of road surface in terms of macadam thickness, its consistency, quality of tar and proper compaction with road rollers need to be seen, the metalling and allied basics needs proper monitoring for durable roads.
The departments should start finding answers as to why every year there is a need to blacktop the roads. Necessary steps need to be taken in advance to save the surface from damaging during snow clearance.
While insufficient drainage allows rainwater and snowmelt to seep into the road surface, the concerned need to look into the issue and shall address it because it would solve two problems: one that the roads would be saved and second water logging during rains would be prevented. The concerned departments need to step up the processes during the present time and utilize the current warmer weather to best advantage.
It is a known fact that damaged roads cause traffic jams as drivers are forced to go slow which invariably causes traffic to pile up and hence jams, sometimes gridlocks. Potholed roads not only reduce the life of the automobile but also bring down its mileage. Authorities need to address the prime and allied issue on priority.
