Locals get distressed due to dilapidated roads in Siliguri

Siliguri, Oct 7 (ANI): Dilapidated roads are a cause of worry to locals in West Bengal's Siliguri District.

Repeated appeals to the state authorities have fallen on deaf ears, as they have failed to construct roads or repair damaged roads.

The apathy of the authorities has now turned the situation in the region grim, as goods brought on trucks turn rotten by the time they reach their designated markets.

This has resulted in the prices of fresh fruits, vegetables and other essential commodities shooting up while in transit.

A distressed local trucker spoke to mediapersons about the situation while describing his woes.

"Our business is being severely affected due to dilapidated roads. Since the trucks don't reach on time the fruits and vegetables being transported by them get rotten. The growers and farmers face difficulty in travelling till here due to lack of transport for this area. No one wants to drive till here," said Pravat Saha, a local trucker.

He highlighted that goods worth millions are getting damaged due to which growers are incurring huge losses.

"The price of commodities has soared in the area. Also goods get rotten till the time they reach here," he added.

The condition is getting worse by the day as truckers refuse to ply through the area for neither commercial transport nor delivery of goods thereby adding to the pain of local businessmen.

With a creaking rail network, India relies heavily on such highways to transport goods.

But their often-shoddy condition saps the competitiveness of companies and creates supply bottlenecks that have helped keep inflation uncomfortably high. (ANI)