With the IMD predicting an early monsoon, Ahmedabad’s roads are turning hazardous. According to a media report, areas like Nehrunagar, IIMA Road, and Bopal revealed that crucial pre-monsoon tasks — especially catchpit cleaning — are still pending. Potholes and sinkholes from recent showers have been poorly patched, raising safety concerns.
The showers have already exposed the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s (AMC) lack of preparedness. Despite routine claims of pre-monsoon drives, clogged catchpits continue to cause water-logging. AMC admitted that 119 spots across the city were flooded during the recent rain.
Posh locality, poor roads
The stretch from IIM to Panjrapole Crossroads is dotted with at least four sizable potholes but no repair work appears to be underway. Utkarsh Gupta, a 26-year-old resident of Vejalpur who commutes daily via Panjrapole Road, told Mirror: “It’s become impossible to travel on this road. God knows what’ll happen once the rains start lashing the city.”
Makarba’s sudden sinkhole
In a recent incident, the pavement on the stretch from Vastrapur railway crossing to Sarkhej-Vishala Road caved in beneath a moving auto-rickshaw. A woman, her son, and the driver sustained injuries from exposed underground cables.
The adjacent flyover project over the railway tracks remains incomplete, forcing commuters to drive against traffic from the Police Headquarters to the starting point of the flyover at Makarba. Night-time driving here is particularly dangerous, requiring motorists to keep a keen eye out for oncoming vehicles in the wrong lane.
Bopal’s recurring nightmare
“Every year, cave-ins crop up before or during the monsoon, endangering lives,” said Bhumi Bhalodia, a Bopal resident and practising physiotherapist. “The AMC merely barricades the cave-ins and moves on, leaving the area congested for weeks. It’s especially risky at night.”
The authority’s response
When contacted, Standing Committee Chairman Devang Dani said, “Pre-monsoon operations are underway across the city. I will instruct the concerned officials to carry out patchwork on the potholes immediately.”
Projects stuck in limbo
According to AMC sources, the Drainage Project Division has taken up 16 works with an estimated expenditure of Rs 708 crore. Of these, 15 are reportedly still in progress. The AMC recently claimed that Rs 840 crore worth of stormwater drains would be ready before the monsoon in areas adjoining the SP Ring Road, such as Bopal and Shela.
Whether these promises hold water, quite literally, remains to be seen.