As the roads in Srinagar city continue to be in a dilapidated state, the experts believe that lack of planning, poor quality control and drainage system are the primary causes for the poor condition of roads in the city.They said that that poor drainage leads to accumulation of water on the roads that eventually washes off a patch or leaves the roads with potholes.One of the senior officials of the Roads and Buildings department admitted that the government as of now does not have a plan for comprehensive drainage system for the city.He said that improper drainage system across the city is the main reason for damage to the roads. “We can create good roads. But, since the city lacks proper drainage system, the water accumulates on the roads during monsoons and thereby the roads are damaged even during the initial spell of rains.” the official told KNS insisted not to be named.Moreover sources said that lack of supervision and faulty construction material are other reasons for the roads getting washed away as soon as they are made. “There should be a team of officials of the government on the field supervising the construction activity and ensure that proper procedures are followed. But unfortunately, the work is done as per the convenience of the contractors,” said a source in R&B department.
Sources said that there has to be more stringent quality control especially with regards to the construction material used while building roads. This is another factor, why the roads in Srinagar are damaged within a short span of construction, sources added.Sources said that even the cities, Jammu and Srinagar-have poor drainage system due to lack of coordination between various departments.“There is a lack of coordination between different departments that is the main reasons for non-improvisation of drainage system. The R&B department first makes the construction of roads then we have to spend a lot of money in making the drainage system and then on repairing of roads. Before any road construction, the drainage system shall be in place prior to that,” an official of the Housing and Urban Development Department said.One of the top government officials said that the government has issued strict directions to departments to make coordination in developmental works. “Departments have been told that proper drainage system should be put in place before developmental works like constructions of roads and buildings are being made in any area” the official said.According to official details, Jammu city has a poor drainage and sanitation system in place as a result the untreated water flows into water bodies and pollutes the environment. (KNS)