PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
A case of alleged negligence by the Public Works Department (PWD) has come to light in Vikasnagar after road repair work was carried out on a waterlogged stretch during heavy rainfall. On Dakpathar Road, bitumen was laid to fill potholes despite continuous rain and a video of the work has gone viral on social media, raising questions over the department’s functioning.
Local residents alleged that poor-quality material had been dumped on the flooded road merely to siphon off the government budget on completion of a formality. However, PWD’s junior engineer Dinesh Rana denied the allegations, stating that it was not raining when the repair work had begun.
He claimed that rain had started unexpectedly during the operation and around half a trolley of hot bitumen was used to fill the potholes to prevent the material from going to waste. “If the potholes reappear, the department will carry out fresh repairs,” he assured.
Responding to the dispute, the PWD engineer-in-chief and head of department, Rajesh Chandra Sharma said that the road repair work had commenced before the rainfall began. He explained that once bitumen is heated, it cannot be reused. “Therefore, instead of discarding the leftover hot mix, it was spread over the potholes so that the material could at least serve as a temporary filling, as the bitumen still retained its binding properties,” he added.
Sharma further informed that a report has been sought on the incident and appropriate action would be taken after examining it.
The incident has sparked criticism over the execution of road repair works during adverse weather conditions, while the department maintains that the decision was taken to avoid wastage of material.
