RAWALPINDI: A portion of Ratta Road from Kashmiri Bazaar to Ratta Amral, which was dug up for laying sewerage lines, is still in bad condition and has numerous potholes, leading to massive traffic congestion.

Wasa’s contractor had laid sewerage lines from the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital to Leh Nullah at the cost of Rs14.5 million.

However, the contractor repaired the road in Kashmiri Bazaar but not the portion from Novelty Cinema to Leh Nullah.

Ratta Road is the second main road connecting city areas with Cantt, is used by both heavy and light traffic

Travelling on the broken road every day is a hassle for locals, especially on rainy days.

Under the standard operating procedures, contractors of civic agencies have to repair roads after laying down water, sewerage and gas supply lines.

“The government had provided funds for repairing the road and it is the contractors’ duty to do so,” a Wasa official told Dawn.

He said the sewerage system in DHQ Hospital had collapsed and had to be replaced as rainwater was accumulating in front of the hospital and its grounds.

He said the hospital administration had requested Wasa to improve the sewerage system in the hospital. A trunk sewer was laid down from the hospital to Leh Nullah via Kashmiri Bazaar and it was to cater exclusively to the hospital.

Traffic from Raja Bazaar, Astabal Road and Mohanpura as well as from the cantonment is often jammed on the road, especially in the rains. People have to use small streets to avoid potholes on this road and severe traffic jams in front of Novelty Cinema.

A resident of Nanakpura, Mohammad Najam, said locals are facing problems due to the potholes on the road for many months and that old people and children also find it difficult to walk along the road.

A resident of Mohanpura, Suhail Ahmed, said it is not possible for locals to use the road after it rains.

“There was such a bad traffic jam after the rain on Tuesday. The potholes pose danger for motorcyclists and pedestrians,” he said.

“The bad condition of the road is affecting business activities in the main bazaar as well as few people come to shop here,” said Mukhtar Ali, the owner of shop in the locality.

Former Ratta Amral nazim Nasir Mir said this was the second main road connecting the city areas with the cantonment and is used by light and heavy traffic alike.

“Residents of Dhoke Ratta and Ratta Amral, as well as of Mohanpura, Nanakpura and Arjun Nagar face problems in using the road every day,” he said.

Wasa spokesperson Umer Farooq told Dawn that repair work had been conducted twice on the road during the last year.

“This is one of the busiest roads which is why it has developed potholes,” he said.

He said there had been complaints about the repair work and that Wasa is working on addressing the problem. He maintained that the condition of the road is not Wasa’s fault and that it should be repaired by the Road Department.

The concerns of local residents and shopkeepers have been forwarded to the district administration, Mr Farooq said, and that the relevant authorities will make a plan for repairing the road.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2019