Despite several reminders, it seems the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) is not taking the safety of its citizens 'seriously'. Sources said even after the municipal commissioner has given notices to contractors, who are undertaking several projects in the city, no barricades and signboards have been put up to avert untoward incidents.

A week ago, Municipal Commissioner M K Das had sent a letter to its top officials, pulling them up for neglecting the issue of placing barricades in several parts of the city. But despite warnings, the situation remains the same.

The issue is serious in nature as several stormwater lines are being laid and the trench could prove fatal in the absence of proper signboards. The situation, however, remains the same in almost all the areas where digging is going on in full swing.

In Subhanpura area, near Citizen's Park, where the road has been dug to lay pipelines, there are no signboards. The civic body has put up some tree branches to avert accidents. Similarly, on Vasna Road, instead of putting proper signboards the contractor has simply placed worn-out plastic tapes alerting people about the diversion.

The situation becomes worse and risky in the night as many areas where the digging work has been initiated do not have proper lights. All these factors pose a serious threat to the commuters who move at a high speed. Das had categorically asked the deputy municipal commissioner to take care of the safety aspect and timely completion of the project.

According to the instructions issued, Deputy Municipal Commissioner C M Makwana and Executive Engineer P M Patel will have to take extra precaution in checking the delays in the work. "Since most works are being executed on the roads, it is necessary to keep an eye on the safety of the commuters. Proper barricading, placing of signboards are required at every place where works is in progress," Das wrote in his letter.