Beautiful rain shelters, but what about roads?

Ambika Sharma

Even as the roads in the industrial belt of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) cry for regular repair and maintenance, the BBN Development Authority (BBNDA) is spending an exorbitant on constructing rain shelters in Mussoorie style.

While an ordinary rain shelter also serves the same purpose as these Mussoorie-style shelters, one wonders why lakhs have been incurred in the last several years on such hi-fi shelters, which lie amid dilapidated potholed roads. 

While the potholed roads were crying for timely repair and maintenance, the BBNDA was more focused on erecting these fancy structures.

With both Baddi and Nalagarh towns figuring in the national list of 102 cities that have failed to attain the national ambient air quality norms consistently for years, little is being done to ensure regular upkeep of roads from where large-scale dust emanates. Constituted to ensure systematic development of this industrial belt, including creation of essential urban infrastructure, the BBN is far behind in serving the basic needs of the area.

A sum of Rs 30,91,519 was spent on erecting small and large ordinary rain shelters in the BBN area from 2012 to 2014, while Rs 87,22,821 was spent on erecting Mussourie-style rain shelters from 2014 to 2016. An ordinary rain shelter was constructed for Rs 70,000 in the BBN area and it serves the same purpose as these Mussoorie-style shelters.

Unfazed by the undue expenditure, a budget of Rs 27 lakh has been set aside for constructing more such rain shelters in the Nalagarh area in the current financial year.

Chief Executive Officer, BBNDA, KC Chaman, said the Mussoorie-style rain shelters had been constructed to give a facelift to this key industrial belt and efforts were also afoot to add more such beautifying structures such as constructing an entrance gate. He said the lights fitted in the Mussoorie-style rain shelters were long lasting and they beautified the area.

He said instead of construction of roads, which should be the domain of the PWD, they will focus on adding key infrastructure such as parks, rain shelters, etc., which will facilitate residents. He said due budget has been set aside for the repair and maintenance of major roads in BBN in this financial year.

Sailesh Aggarwal, president, BBN Industries Association, said these rain shelters have been erected to beautify the area and give a facelift to this key industrial belt keeping in view the need to attract investment. He, however, added that since the upkeep of roads was poor and even the much-awaited four-laning of the NH-21-A has failed to come through, the focus of the authorities should be to address these key areas. He said daily traffic jams due to congested roads inconvenience investors and these areas should be accorded utmost priority.

Accidents on the rise

Figures reveal that the BBN area witnessed a large number of road accidents due to the heavy traffic as roads have not been expanded vis a vis the volume of traffic. The local administration had to shell out Rs 5.44 crore in the last two years as relief to the 138 accident victims in the BBN.