Prayagraj: The incessant rains have wreaked havoc on many city roads, including Stanley Road, UPPSC crossing, Teliyarganj, Rajapur, and across various city localities in the city, causing discomfort to commuters.Most of the roads—from Civil Lines to Phaphamau via Teliyarganj, old city pockets and other routes—were in poor condition with potholes and craters. And commuting on these damaged and potholed roads turns into a nightmare after heavy rains as the roads turn waterlogged.Commuters complain of back and neck pain due to constant exposure to uneven and bumpy roads as rains have damaged the majority of city streets.City doctors have too warned of severe impact on the health and well-being of regular commuters of such roads. “Frequent commuting on such bumpy roads can lead to issues with the spinal cord and even slip disc,” cautioned Dr P B Pandey, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon of the city.Prayagraj Municipal Corporation is flooded with complaints pertaining to the extensive road damage. Corporators are appealing to municipal authorities to take necessary measures to repair or reconstruct the broken streets.The health department officials commuting daily from city to Kaurihar, Soraon, Mauaima and Nawabganj complained that the conditions of streets have deteriorated and despite complaints to the authorities concerned, no action has been initiated till now.Commuters complained that during rains they have to struggle through pothole-filled roads while at other times, they are greeted by dust.“Poor road maintenance is contributing to pollution as well,” Civil Lines resident Anjali said. The authorities asserted that they are actively engaged in periodically fixing potholes and that a comprehensive overlaying of the critical roads will be undertaken during the dry spell.“We are identifying and repairing the potholes on a regular basis,” said a PMC official.Vehicle owners are forced to shell out extra bucks to maintain their vehicles. The poor condition of tabletop crossings causes damage to vehicles’ suspensions. Ravaged roads also wreak havoc on different car parts, especially axles, wheels and tyres. “The car’s alignment system suffers due to bad roads and it costs considerably to repair the cars even if the damages are minor,” said Dr Anupam Dwivedi, a resident of Civil Lines.Meanwhile, unrelenting rains in the region have added woes to the lives of people here. The rains have destroyed crops across hundreds of acres and damaged many houses too. However, there was some relaxation in the intensity of rains in the city on Sunday.
