Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Rakesh Singh on Wednesday said that potholes are an unavoidable reality as long as roads exist. “Until roads remain, potholes will occur,” he told reporters during an interaction in Bhopal.
The minister explained that no technique has yet been developed that can ensure pothole-free roads. “If someone says a road can be built that will never develop potholes, we have no such information or technology available with us yet,” Singh stated.
However, he said that if a road is supposed to last four years but begins to show potholes within six months, that is unacceptable and action should be taken.
When asked about Neela Sahu, a woman from Sidhi who posted a viral video demanding road construction, Singh said that PWD does not have such a large budget that it can take up projects based solely on social media posts.
He emphasised the importance of durability in construction, saying roads should ideally not develop potholes quickly, but factors like heavy rainfall and traffic load often cause damage.
“I won’t claim the quality of our roads is excellent—it’s not. If the quality had been good, potholes wouldn’t appear so quickly,” Singh admitted. He said that the department conducts sudden inspections and quality checks to ensure standards are maintained.
Highlighting infrastructure progress, he said the largest flyover in the state is being built in Jabalpur using advanced technology and has attracted attention from engineers outside Madhya Pradesh. However, its inauguration has been delayed, which Singh attributed to Congress’ intervention. “It will be inaugurated once all works are fully completed,” he said.
