Road that folds like a carpet? Video of Maharashtra's poor quality road is viral

Villagers lift up a portion of the road. (Screengrab from video shared by @mrjethwani_ on Twitter)

A video of Maharashtra villagers exposing a poorly constructed road between Karjt to Aste Bokhari village in Jalna district has gone viral on social media. According to Pune Mirror, the road was built under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) and is so flimsy that the villagers could roll it off like a blanket.

In the clip, a group of villagers can be seen talking on camera about exposing the "bogus" development work that has been carried out by easily lifting off the road from one side. What should have been an asphalt or concrete structure is seen easily peeling off the dusty ground like a blanket or a carpet.

"This is all bogus work being carried out in the name of development," a villager says on camera.

Ye hai Double Engine Vikas!

Villagers expose a poor quality road constructed in Jalna District. According to reports, the road was built under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY). pic.twitter.com/BUx2sAY4TC — Manish Jethwani (@mrjethwani_) May 31, 2023

The viral video has also sparked memes with people equating the road to a carpet.

Expectations v/s reality pic.twitter.com/h02vpe2RxA — Abdul Khader (@mkhader4u) May 31, 2023

As per a report in Free Press Journal, the contractor in Maharashtra responsible for constructing the road claimed to use German technology where a carpet-like material is placed directly on the road, covering the potholes, and then compacted to create a smooth surface. But in reality, it turned out to be a sham after the villagers discovered that the contractor had merely implemented a makeshift solution.

Instead of using a mixture of gravel, sand, and compacted soil -- like is conventionally used in road construction -- the workers haphazardly spread the mixture directly onto a carpet-like material that could be easily lifted off.

Read more: Mumbai lost out to Bengaluru in tech because of poor infra: Devendra Fadnavis