Potholes, traffic, chaos galore on Saurashtra-Ahmedabad route in monsoon

The monsoon in Gujarat has yet again exposed the shoddy work of infrastructure development, while authorities boast of ‘high-class’ highways, bridges, expressways and city roads.

Despite paying toll taxes, citizens continue to face severe hardships on the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway as potholes on the old bridge of the Bagodara highway and the dilapidated Gondal road cause hours-long traffic jams.

Even after years past the project deadlines, several works, including repairs at Kuvadva on the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway, remain incomplete.

On the stretch between Bagodara and Limbdi, gross negligence in the maintenance of a 1-kilometre-long bridge has led to dangerous and massive potholes. Meanwhile, on the busy Rajkot-Gondal highway, traffic jams lasting three to four hours have left commuters in a state of distress.

Congress leader Gayatriba Vaghela complained to National Highway Authority of India NHAI sharing the videos of the severely damaged road.

An official from NHAI has nothing to say except for acknowledging the issue. As per Vaghela, he said that the new bridge was yet to be inaugurated. However, he could not provide any explanation for  failing to carry out patchwork on the old bridge, that remains in use. This was stated by 

Despite the frequent movement of ministers and politicians on these roads, they either remain indifferent to public woes, or any representations made by MLAs do not yield results, raising serious questions. 

The ongoing work for the  six-lane Rajkot–Jetpur stretch is also progressing sluggishly, adding to the woes. Moreover, both the service roads and alternate roads are in extremely poor condition. Yet, collection of toll continues.

Amid growing public outrage, Congress leader Rohit Rajput stated that a painfully long traffic jam lasting 3 to 4 hours occurred on this route. He further added that such problems have become a daily ordeal for commuters, but none of the authorities have taken steps to resolve these pressing issues.

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