Gujarat: 94 pc of roads closed during heavy rains reopened after repair works
Gandhinagar, July 30
The Roads and Buildings Department has restored 94 per cent of the roads that were closed across the state during the recent spell of extremely heavy rainfall, with most affected routes in South Gujarat reopened within 24 to 48 hours, according to official figures released by the state government.
Between July 23 and 27, exceptionally heavy rainfall triggered widespread waterlogging and flood-like conditions across several districts, forcing the closure of 1,540 roads for safety reasons, including water overtopping and damage to road infrastructure.
The department said repair work was carried out on a war footing, allowing the rapid restoration of connectivity in many affected areas.
According to the department, 1,451 of the 1,540 closed roads, or around 94 per cent, have now been repaired and reopened for vehicular traffic.
South Gujarat witnessed the most severe disruption during the rainfall. Of the 1,251 roads that were closed in the region, traffic was restored on 1,187 within just 24 to 48 hours.
"1,236 roads, accounting for more than 98 per cent of the affected network in South Gujarat, have now been reopened," officials added.
The state government said the restoration work was undertaken under the supervision of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi and the Secretary of the Roads and Buildings Department through what it described as a "four-pillar strategy".
As part of the operation, more than 1,400 personnel, including 145 technical officers and 1,316 ground labourers, were deployed in the field around the clock.
The department also mobilised more than 300 heavy vehicles and machines, comprising 195 JCB excavators, 86 tractors and 59 dumpers, to clear damaged sections of roads and remove debris.
Real-time monitoring of the restoration work was conducted every two hours from the State Flood Control Cell in Gandhinagar.
"Direct coordination for the districts of Surat, Navsari and Valsad was maintained from the Valsad Command Base by the Chief Engineer and an Officer on Special Duty," officials noted.
In addition to road restoration, six special design teams were sent from Gandhinagar to assess the structural integrity and safety of bridges and government buildings in the rain-affected areas.
The department also said it responded to reports carried by news organisations, taking up repairs on around 120 damaged or closed roads identified through media coverage and restoring them for vehicular movement.
The restoration drive followed one of the heaviest rainfall episodes of the monsoon season in Gujarat, which disrupted transport links and caused flooding across several parts of the state between July 23 and 27.
— IANS
Reader Comments
While I appreciate the quick restoration, we need to talk about why 1,540 roads became unusable in the first place. These heavy rains happen every year in Gujarat. Shouldn't our infrastructure be built to handle this? Just saying...
Very impressive that even 120 roads identified through media reports were fixed. That shows transparency and responsiveness. But hope they also check bridges and govt buildings for safety - lives are precious. 🙏
As someone from Valsad, I can confirm the situation was really bad last week. Water was everywhere. But seeing JCBs and workers day and night gave some hope. Still worried about bridges though - hope those design teams do thorough checks!
That's quite efficient - 24-48 hour turnaround for most roads in South Gujarat. The 1,400 personnel deployed shows real commitment. But let's not forget the farmers and small businesses that suffered losses. Restoration is one thing, but compensation matters too.
Impressive stats on paper - 94% restoration. But having lived through similar situations in other states, I wonder about the quality of repairs. Temporary patchwork or lasting solutions? Weather events are becoming more extreme, so we need resilient infrastructure!
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