The ‘road less cared for’ behind the Ruwi mosque, has now been concretised to get rid of the perennial potholes and facilitate easy flow of traffic, much to the relief of citizens and motorists residing in the area. But have the real ‘irritants’ of this resurfaced road been tackled?

The MBD area now has an all-new road – albeit a small stretch – something that hasn’t happened this side of town over the past 2-3 decades! This road connects an unsung, yet frequently used area, leading to the Central Bank of Oman on one end and Badr al Samaa Hospital on the other. And citizens have hailed the prompt civic action.

Apart from the series of flyovers created to connect the Al Bustan Road, from the Wadi Kabir roundabout to Darsait Heights, a project that spanned over five years and caused untold hardships and diversions to motorists while the construction was on, one hasn’t seen such huge civic developmental works here for long.

A year ago, this stretch appeared akin to the craters on the Moon, with deep depressions filled with sewage water and gravel strewn all over, compelling motorists to negotiate serpentine routes at the risk of head-on collisions and forcing pedestrians to stay aloof. The condition had been so here for well over a decade.

Kudos to the Roads Department of the Muscat Municipality which took cognisance of the problem and swung into action following several complaints by citizens and criticial reports in a section of the press. Less than a year later, civic officials inspected the site, and works were undertaken over the past six months when both ends were cordoned off to facilitate the construction works on a stretch between two sewer channels that, though sunken, serves as a by-pass.

Over 110 sections of concrete demarcated by tarred strips have been laid, connecting two sewers – one at the mini roundabout near the Central Bank of Oman and one behind the Ruwi Mosque. The surface of this road is now somewhat aligned with the floor of the sewers.

The reinforced concretised stretch now would be rid of the formation of potholes which was caused due to the constant flow of sewage water emanating from the vicinity of the mosque’s drainage as well as from the main sewer at the junction. These two irritants, however, continue to add a shabby sight to this road, though the effluent can now flow off the road towards the sewer yonder.

A cross-section of motorists and pedestrians in the area hailed the new resurfaced road as a much-needed solution to a perennial problem but hoped that the sewage could be, somehow, diverted, instead of flowing over the road daily.

K Ashwin, a motorist who regularly uses this road, pointed out to the flowing sewage water on the new road, saying, “We are happy that this road has been repaired but what about this sewage water that flows on the road every day. There should be a solution for that, too.”

A resident of the area, Mohammed Jamal, said, “We work here and pass by this road several times a day. It is a big relief to see it in good condition now.” Another added, “The municipality should regularly inspect such internal streets and do the needful. Citizens or expatriate residents will not take any initiative to draw their attention.”

Most people upheld the civic action, especially because there is an Omani school adjacent to this resurfaced road, and huge school buses regularly ply the stretch.