Every year the Gwalior Municipal Corporation, in collaboration with the PWD spend crores of rupees on the construction and repair of roads across the city. But almost all of the 51 roads in the city are in an extremely pathetic condition with long and wide ditches all over the stretches.

Apart from the wastage of hard-earned money which the citizens pay by way of tax, the cracked roads also cause a lot of problems to the commuters in their daily life.

Roads, especially between SKV and the AG’s office, Padav and Hajira, between Govindpuri junction and New High Court and Gole Ka Mandir and Morar have large potholes full of rainwater and mud, causing frequent road accidents, and traffic jams for hours.

The use of substandard materials during the construction and repair of the roads is said to be the main reason for this sad state of affairs. Rarely has there been any significant monitoring of the quality of materials used by the contractor. The repaired roads get damaged within months, developing severe cracks and potholes.

One example is the road from Govindpuri Junction to New High Court. It was repaired and modernized during the President of India’s visit a few months back, but now it is in such a worn-out condition that motorists dread to use that road. According to available figures roads worth more than Rs 50 crore have been swept away during this monsoon season.

Speaking to the media persons, Maya Singh, the Cabinet Minister of Urban Development and Housing, Government of Madhya Pradesh said that she has already instructed the engineers at the PWD to instantly take steps to repair the roads. She also asked them to persistently monitor the work of the contractors. Gwalior Mayor Vivek Shewalkar said that it has been brought to his notice that several roads are in a depleted condition.