The ongoing project by the civic body in Kolhapur city, involving the construction of five major roads, originally scheduled for completion by May 31, has not yet reached the halfway mark. Under the Maharashtra State Suvarna Jayanti Nagri Nagarotthan Yojana, the works of 16 roads were initiated, with a private contractor appointed by the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) on December 15, 2023. Out of these, the construction of five roads was slated for completion by May 31.
According to city-based activist Ramesh More, citizens are facing inconvenience due to the dug-up roads during the monsoon season, as proper surfacing has not been done. He mentioned that KMC officials and the contractor are attributing blame to each other for the delay in the road works.
More noted that as of June 1, only a portion of the road between Dasara chowk to ITI corner had been asphalted, from Mirajkar Tikti to Nangiwali chowk. The work from Subhash Road to Bhosle Hospital had not commenced, while for the stretch between Mauli chowk to Gokhale college chowk, drainage works were underway with only 100m of asphalt laid between Gokhale college and SBI Bank. The road from Hockey stadium to Vishwajeet hotel had been tarred, temporary asphalting was done from Khari corner to Ubha Maruti chowk, with final work scheduled after the monsoons.
Netradeep Sarnobat, the KMC city engineer, stated that drainage repairs were being prioritized to ensure proper completion of the road work. The contractor, however, expressed frustration, claiming that drainage repairs, cross drain works, sewers, and water channels were causing significant delays. Sattar Mulla, the project manager, mentioned that road works were underway day and night, but the presence of drainage, water channel, and cross drain works, along with traffic, were hampering progress. Despite having adequate machinery and manpower, they were facing challenges, but assured that the works would be completed within the next two weeks.