Kolkata: KMC has formed five teams to finish repairing battered stretches of 76 arterial roads by Monday and make them puja-ready.An official said the 76 stretches were identified, based on KMC’s feedback mechanism and a list of bad roads sent by the Kolkata Police. “We started repairs a few days ago. We have already completed about 70% of the work. Earlier, the rain held back work but the past few days were favourable for repairs, given the fairly dry spell,” said the official. Showers make repairs tough as the binding power of bituminous hot mixture—it is poured on potholes to cover them up—reduces if poured on a wet surface.KMC administrator and commissioner Smita Pandey said on Thursday that the civic body had itself set a target to complete the repairs by Oct 5. Earlier, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari had given time till Oct 10 to finish the work.“The 76 arterial roads identified are riddled with potholes and craters. We are working at night as it is difficult to undertake repairs of busy roads during the day, given the heavy traffic,” said a KMC official. The civic body has 13 pothole-repair machines that carry bituminous hot mixture. “The machine is taken close to a pothole and the mixture is poured over the pothole. The ongoing repairs are all patchwork and not thorough repairs. The objective is to make all roads free of potholes before Durga Puja,” the official said.Another official said work between Kidderpore and Taratala flyover of Diamond Harbour Road was over. “This stretch was in a particularly poor state. There were not only potholes but also the top layer had worn off at multiple places,” the official added. Among the other stretches, where repairs have been finished, are Captain Bheri and Mathpukur on E M Bypass, parts of Central Avenue, including the area near Md Ali Park, and parts of Alipore Road.Two civic departments are engaged in the repair job—roads and civil engineering. While the roads department is in charge of maintenance of arterial and wider roads, the civil engineering department is responsible for repairs of battered lanes and bylanes that are narrower. “Many of the narrower roads have also turned busy roads with a rise in traffic volume. It is important to keep them free of potholes ahead of puja,” said an official.
