With the monsoons intensifying in many parts of the country, conversations about deteriorating road conditions have become stronger. In many areas, we see huge potholes and extremely bad patches. Travelling through these has become cumbersome and highly unsafe. Recently, a video surfaced online, showing a Maruti Brezza stuck in a giant pothole. Look closely and you will realise that it is the same road/ pothole that had previously left a truck stranded. A video shared by SilvassaNewsLine shows the gravity of the situation and makes us wonder why this road is still open...
It starts with the host giving a brief introduction to the present condition of the roads in Silvassa, a city in Dadra & Nagar Haveli. He explains how the rains have destroyed them.
Huge potholes have formed on their surfaces, causing great inconvenience to road users, and more shockingly, endangering their lives. The Brezza and the truck got stuck on a stretch between the Pipariya bridge and the Yatri Niwas, on the Silvassa ring road.
This patch has become unusable for vehicles and pedestrians alike. In the video, we can see huge potholes (which almost look like crators) on the stretch, mostly filled with water.
Due to the water inside, it becomes extremely difficult for drivers to assess the actual size and depth of these potholes. It is only after you fall into one (and probably get stuck) that you get the actual idea of its depth.
Now, let’s consider the case of the Maruti Brezza that got stuck. The front wheels have completely fallen into the pothole. One of them dug deeper into the gutter causing the rear right wheel to get airborne. The platform seems to be touching the road. This may have caused damage to the vehicle’s underbody.
Another video shows the driver attempting to reverse the vehicle. It, however, fails to find enough traction to lift the beached platform up and crawl back onto the road.
It remains unclear as to how this vehicle was recovered. Most likely, it was towed to safety. Falling into the pothole seems to have damaged the Brezza’s bumpers and even wheels.
The video report by SilvassaNewsLine says that it is common to find vehicles getting damaged by the potholes here. It then talks about how the fully-loaded truck got stuck after its rear wheels plunged into the water-filled pothole. The freight’s weight made it lose balance and end up getting stuck in an awkward angle.
As is obvious from the visuals, the pothole that got the SUV and the truck stuck, is a huge threat to two-wheelers and cyclists. The other bad sections and potholes may make life difficult for them, but this could simply put their lives at risk.
If a two-wheeler gets into these ditches, with the rider having no clear clue of its actual depth, it will not only damage the vehicle’s tyres and rims, but can also lead to the rider losing balance and crashing out.
The video also mentions one such close call: two youngsters on a scooter lost control when their front wheel dipped into a pothole. They fell off the vehicle but escaped with minor injuries.
From the visuals, it is clear that this road runs through a busy part of Silvassa, surrounded by residential and commercial establishments. The ring road was originally built to divert traffic and reduce congestion inside city.
Its present condition is indeed troubling a lot of people. Authorities must act quickly to repair the broken sections before more vehicles are damaged—or worse, lives are lost. More importantly, they should not wait for the monsoons to be over, to carry out repairs.