Chandigarh, Sept 21: Potholed and battered roads that have long marred Chandigarh’s reputation as the City Beautiful are finally set for a makeover. Heavy rains worsen the situation, leaving commuters dodging craters, rattling vehicles, and rising accident numbers. For years, road resurfacing schedules were neglected as authorities shifted responsibility back and forth.
Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria has intervened, putting an end to the blame game between the Administration and the Municipal Corporation (MC). “Whether any road is under the UT or the MC, it has to be motorable and in good condition so that people do not suffer,” Kataria told The Tribune at Punjab Raj Bhavan, effectively breaking the bureaucratic deadlock that left residents stranded.
The V3 roads, covering stretches around city sectors, became emblematic of the dysfunction. Councillors repeatedly clashed in MC House meetings, with shouting matches, walkouts, and marshals escorting members out. Resolutions to repair roads were passed, opposed, stalled, and ignored, while the roads themselves remained in disrepair. The MC cited empty coffers, while the UT claimed jurisdictional limits. Roads slated for resurfacing every five years were left untouched for six to eight, even as residents continued paying taxes, fees, and fuel cess, jolted on every commute.
Kataria, who had earlier promised a bailout package to the cash-strapped MC during an April interview with The Tribune, has now acted decisively. He approved the MC resolution transferring 275 km of V3 roads to UT oversight and secured Rs 125 crore from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for the financially struggling civic body. “I delivered what I said,” he remarked, recalling his prior assurance. The Governor added that residents “will see the difference” by the end of next month.
Critics say the MC’s long-standing excuse of “no funds” is increasingly untenable, pointing to money regularly allocated for ornamental projects and grand events while the city’s lifelines crumbled. A June MC survey highlighted the scale of neglect: 60 roads were rated “very poor” and 23 more “poor,” with many not resurfaced since 2015-16.
The twin moves — road transfer to the UT and the bailout — aim to finally restore the city’s streets and end years of commuter frustration.
