City infrastructure crumbles as monsoon exposes civic bodies' negligence
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Jaipur: The Pink City's claims of monsoon preparedness lay in ruins Friday as just two days of rain brought India's tourist hotspot to its knees, exposing years of infrastructural neglect and bureaucratic apathy.
In a grave incident that highlighted the city's crumbling infrastructure, a massive sinkhole - 15 feet deep and 60 feet long - emerged near Muhana Mandi, swallowing two parked vehicles and forcing authorities to completely shut down the arterial road. This catastrophic failure came mere weeks after district collector Jitendra Kumar Soni confidently declared, "This time Jaipur won't drown."
As the situation deteriorated, Soni declined to comment Friday.
A senior official from the collectorate said, "Our role is to monitor departments; execution is their responsibility."
While the city struggled to stay afloat, JMC Greater mayor Somya Gurjar's priority appeared to be International Yoga Day preparations, drawing sharp criticism from residents. "When the city is sinking, the administration is busy preparing for yoga," remarked a frustrated citizen.
The city's major thoroughfares, including MI Road and Tonk Road, transformed into virtual rivers, paralysing traffic and stranding thousands of commuters.
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In an ironic twist, even the Jaipur Municipal Corporation-Greater's office became inaccessible due to severe waterlogging, leaving staff trapped inside and citizens stranded outside.
On key routes such as JLN Marg, waterlogging caused severe traffic slowdowns. A traffic official said, "As vehicle speed dropped, congestion built up. With sidewalks submerged, pedestrians were forced onto the roads, worsening the gridlock."
Adding to the chaos, three dangerous potholes appeared near the Ganga Jamuna petrol pump in Mansarovar, with authorities failing to even install basic warning barricades. In Vijay Nagar Phase II, Kartarpura, shoddy pipeline work by PHED led to multiple road cave-ins, trapping vehicles and endangering lives.
Loose soil in Gopalpura and other areas washed away, causing road collapses and triggering a dispute between the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) and the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED).
JDA Superintendent Engineer Deepak Mathur said, "The road sank because the water pipeline beneath broke. It will only be repaired after the pipe is fixed." A PHED official responded, "The road design was flawed.
The collapse led to water seeping below and damaging the line."
This infrastructure breakdown raises serious questions about the public money spent on pre-monsoon preparations and the city's disaster management capabilities. As Jaipur continues to sink under the weight of administrative negligence, the only thing floating seems to be empty promises.
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