John Wilbert &Vikramaditya
Port Blair, Mar 09: Residents of Laxmi Nagar village in Campbell Bay, Great Nicobar, have been complaining about the poor condition of roads, including the 4 KM link roads that connect different villages.
The issue has been a major concern for the villagers during emergencies, as most of the roads and link roads in the 35 km area have been in bad shape. Despite several protests and complaints to the administration, the condition of the roads remains the same.
The Gram Panchayat Pradhan of Laxmi Nagar, Mr. Prahlad Singh, and Zilla Parishad member, Mr. Sanjay Singh, recently raised the matter with the Chief Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Administration.
They highlighted the deteriorating condition of the 35 km stretch of the North-South Road, leading from ‘0’ point to Shastri Nagar, which is known as State Highway -2. Laxmi Nagar Gram Panchayat extended from 8 km to 35 km of this road, and it is under the control and maintenance of APWD.
The road is in a pathetic condition, and during the rainy season, the situation worsens with potholes, landslides, and overflow of water, affecting vehicular traffic and pedestrians. Daily commuters, students, government servants, and patients are badly affected, and there is no surety of reaching their destinations safely and on time. The STS Bus service is also affected in some cases.
Mr. Prahlad Singh Pradhan stated that the road was constructed ten years ago by the Border Roads Organisation and is now maintained by the APWD. He added that the road’s condition is affecting the studies of students, and many buses break down due to the bad road condition, causing inconvenience to the people.
In response to the complaints, a senior officer of the APWD today said that they are aware of the matter. He said that as far as State Highway is concerned (00KM to 35 KM road), the work order for construction of road 18 to 21.03 KM, will be awarded soon, for which the concerned contractor has already mobilized road construction materials. Regarding the other stretch 12.06 KM the tender process is on and tenders will be opened on 13th March 2023.
He said that meanwhile the APWD team is repairing the road but he mentioned that APWD has two road rollers but both are having some technical issues. He added that due to continuous rain the repair works could not be carried out but now within a few days the road rollers will be repaired and then repair work will be continued and before May 2023, APWD has plans to complete the pothole repair works.
