Centre admits potholes, waterlogging on NH-12 in Nadia–Murshidabad

Kolkata: The Centre has acknowledged the presence of potholes, surface damage and drainage problems and assured quick repair work on a stretch of National Highway-12 between Jaguli in Nadia district and Beldanga in Murshidabad, following a question raised in the Lok Sabha by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra.

In her question, Moitra recently sought details on the condition of the highway, particularly under the road under the bridge near Krishnanagar Road Station and at Kapa More in Mohanpur. She also asked whether accidents had occurred due to the poor condition of the road, whether pre-monsoon repairs had been carried out, if funds had been allocated, and whether a timeline had been fixed for repairs.

Replying in the House, Union Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari said localised surface damage, potholes and drainage deficiencies had been observed on the NH-12 stretch and that corrective action had been initiated. According to the reply, the 66.7-km stretch from Barasat to Krishnanagar, passing through Jaguli and Nadia, has been developed as a four-lane road under the Engineering Procurement Contract mode and is under the defect liability period, during which maintenance is the responsibility of the contractor.

The minister noted that the road under the bridge at Krishnanagar gets submerged during the rainy season, but arrangements have been made to drain out water. The 67-km Krishnanagar–Berhampore stretch, which includes the Beldanga–Murshidabad section, has been developed as a four-lane road under the Build-Operate-Transfer model and is being maintained in traffic-worthy condition. A separate project to widen a 5.5-km stretch in Murshidabad district, including Beldanga, is underway and is scheduled for completion by July 2026. The Centre clarified that Kapa More falls on the Kalyani Expressway, which is a state expressway and not maintained by the Union government.

On accidents, the reply stated that no separate data was available linking accidents specifically to the poor condition of the stretch. However, 209 accidents were reported during the current year on the larger Barasat– Berhampore corridor.

The minister added that pre-monsoon maintenance work, including pothole filling, patch repairs and drain cleaning, had been carried out by the contractor and concessionaire, and that no separate funds or timelines had been fixed as maintenance is covered under existing agreements.