Once upon a time there was a picture of a rural road and a lot of potholes and landslides in places and a picture of a muddy road in the rain. It was also difficult for vehicles for the sick or the elderly to cross the road on foot. That picture is almost gone now. Development has gained momentum under several schemes of the State and Central Governments and roads in many remote villages of West Bengal have been tarred. But there was no one who could lead him in harmony. It was a mistake – he could not lead, he fell backwards. His name is City. Every time it rains, images of miserable streets in cities in different parts of the state come up. This time, like two days of rain, the skeletal condition of the streets of Kolkata can be seen. Chittaranjan Avenue, Dumdum Road, Dharmathala Bus Stand, EM Bypass, Behala: North, South or East, Bhangachora Road. The picture is almost the same in Howrah, near Kolkata. Accumulated water on the road was broken and somewhere the cover of the pitch was broken. Like the GT Road, the main road has potholes up to one and a half feet. Other small district towns are no exception. At Nakhashipara in Nadia, after a heavy rain, the passengers described the experience of traveling with their lives in hand. So, the so-called ‘rural roads’ are long gone. Rather, the city can learn something from a remote village in Belpahari or Garumara by carefully studying the model of how society, governance and politics can work together for overall development.
However, the path to learning is thorny with many obstacles. Many roads in the city are repaired as the rainy season passes. If a road is properly maintained, the question is how it will break down by the end of the year. The villain will say that the contractor is not spending the full amount allocated by the government for the road sector properly. There is no shortage of ants on the brick-sand-cement buying cycle every year. However, on the one hand, there is the gossip of the administration, on the other hand, about the vicious cycle of road construction projects. Many roads in Howrah have not been repaired in the last five years. Allegations of substandard materials may be leveled against contractors, many of which may not be untrue, but the government will have to take full responsibility for not starting the venture. Also, can the local government escape the responsibility of disrupting civil services as a result of the mathematics of contractors’ collusion and compromise with the political arm and money? Arranging care is also an urgent duty. We need to focus on repairing the roads, forgetting administrative procrastination, dealing with corruption, cutting other red ribbons and, above all, political interests. There is no other way to get rid of this pain.
