By R Lester Makang
UKHRUL, June 23: As the already pitiable condition of road in Ukhrul town is fast worsening with the onset of rainy season, the day-to-day life of the common man here is put to great peril and hardship.
The sole one-way (main) road running through the heart of the township has been in poor shape since the last many months. Its surface had been filled with pot holes at many portions and remained dusty during dry season. With the seasonal monsoon setting in, the damaged road is proving sheer purgatory for the residents as it is virtually turned into marshy ground at various places.
Fuming vehemently at the nightmarish road conditions, H Tuishimla, a housewife said that crossing the vegetable vendors’ point at Phungreitang during this rainy season is nothing short of hell and is dangerous for both motorists and padestrians since the road is mostly covered with slippery mass of mud.
“It has been only few years since the town road was last re-layed by the BRTF but it had been broken at various places months before the current monsoon rains,” said Akham a resident of Hamleikhong, while contending that this shows engineering quality of construction on the authority’s part.
The main town road basically extends from Dungrei Hundung Junction to Kasomtang Junction and the stretch has developed innumerable pot holes over the last many months — some so severe that they appear small ponds on the roadway.
“The authorities had also recently filled the potholes along the stretch from Phungreitang to Wino bazaar with chip stones and cobbles to extend its motorability, but to no avail, Akham added.
Apparently, all this while the authorities seem to remain indifferent to the growing woes of the public due to bad road.
Meanwhile, efforts to cull official comments from the PWD Ukhrul division have failed. The executive engineer nor any staff of the department was available when this IFP correspondent dropped in during office hour on Monday.