Worst roads across metros

"Roads in India are not merely a matter of connectivity but an important component of inclusive growth"- a statement by Transport Minister Kamal Nath that perhaps sums up the need for massive infrastructure development, particularly of roads that need a drastic overhaul.

But even as the minister scouts for foreign investment in India's roads and highways, things on the ground are a far cry from government assurances.

We bring you glimpses of some of the worst roads in metro cities across the country, captured through the lens over the last few months. (AFP Photo)

Construction work eats up what was once a proper stretch of road, in Bangalore. (NDTV Photo)

Roads are nowhere to be seen, after a heavy downpour. It is a struggle to walk amidst all the water, in Bangalore. (NDTV Photo)

Labourers repair a stretch of damaged road in Mumbai, 09 July 2007. The city civic authorities had gone on an overdrive to repair potholes and damaged roads which the high court had earlier ordered the city civic body to complete by 31 May '07. (AFP Photo)

A labourer repairs a stretch of damaged road in Mumbai, 09 July 2007. The city civic authorities had gone on an overdrive to repair potholes and damaged roads which the high court had earlier ordered the city civic body to complete by 31 May 07. (AFP Photo)

Metro workers and onlookers watch as a portion of road caves-in near the Metro construction site, after a sudden thunder storm early evening in New Delhi, Friday, Aug. 21, 2009. (AP Photo)

Up and down, and hardly sober- that is a journey on a Chennai roads. (NDTV Photo)

A car struggles through a road immersed under water, in Chennai. (NDTV Photo)

A road lies ragged in shreds- in Kolkata. (NDTV Photo)

Roads get from bad to worse when the monsoons touch the city of Mumbai. (NDTV Photo)

As vehicles strain through what seems to be mud all over, one's on the verge of forgetting what a road looks like, in Kolkata. (NDTV Photo)

On the roads of Mumbai, rainwater alongwith people, cars and buses remain immoveable- stranded, grounded. (NDTV Photo)

Unfinished roads, with holes and puddles, undulated and irregular- a common sight that stares at us everyday, in Delhi. (NDTV Photo)

Students cross a water-logged playground to reach the school buildings on the outskirts of New Delhi on September 4, 2009. The poor conditions of the roads with several potholes resulted in severe waterlogging after a heavy downpour. (AFP Photo)