A recent example is the widening of V6 roads (lanes in front of residences) in many sectors of the city and upgrading of infrastructure in Industrial Area Phase-I.

The V6 roads in Sector 10, behind Hotel Mountview, illustrate the tale. While the MC has already started digging and widening the roads, the administration is still working out the modalities for the budget involved in shifting the electricity poles.

As the MC and the administration pass the buck to each other, the poles, which now stand tall in the middle of the roads, pose a serious threat to commuters. The MC has washed its hands of all responsibility saying that the poles have to be shifted by the UT Administration before the widening is complete; Administration officials are busy preparing the estimates to send to the MC.

“There are no signboards demarcating the area or to warn motorists about the waylaying poles. Particularly during the night, it is extremely dangerous to drive on such roads, as there are almost no streetlights. Ironically, the MC workers have dug up the paver blocks and kept them unattended on the roadside,” a Sector-10 resident told Newsline.

“The ditches, dug as part of the widening process, could lead to serious mishaps. The work cannot be completed unless the administration removes the electricity poles or shifts them to a safe distance from the road,” added a Punjab and Haryana High Court advocate who resides in the same area.

This is not the only locality that has borne the brunt of the MC and the Administration’s coordination (in)abilities. Development work in Industrial Area Phase-I and many other parts of the city has been stalled as well.

In a strikingly similar tale, the MC and the Administration has locked horns over the issue of removing or shifting poles from the roads in Industrial Area Phase-I. Result? The project of widening the roads has come to a standstill.