And the official reason for not carpeting the road is the monsoon, which has not set in properly this time.

The problem began about five months ago when the VMC started laying a new drainage line on the main road in Dandia Bazaar following complaints of overflow in the old drainage lines.

Initially the road remain closed for vehicular traffic as the line was being laid for almost two-and-a-half months, and for the last two months motorists faced problems as there was hardly any smooth patch left to drive.

But according to Executive Engineer (Roads-Project) M M Patel the work cannot be completed as the hotmix plant of the VMC and the private operators are closed during rainy season.

And even if there is no rain, there is no point in taking chances, Patel says, citing the example of the drizzle recently. But if it does not rain after September 20, the hotmix plant would be started, he says.

Sangram Pawar, an area resident, says that the problem would worsen this week as a large number of vehicles will pass through the area on ocassion of the Ganesh festival. Also a majority of the Ganesh idols will be taken from the Dandia Bazaar road for immersion in the Sursagar lake, he says, adding that the VMC should carpet the road at the earliest.

Another resident Jayesh Zanje says that for all practical purposes only one side of the road is used by the motorists. Due to uneven surface, road cannot be also cleaned properly. Moreover, due to traffic jam on the main roads, people have started preferring the bylanes, leading to traffic congestion even there, he says.