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Ludhiana: NGOs observe symbolic protest after Jagraon bridge misses 4th deadline
Due to imposition of Section 144 in the district, some members reached the spot while others observed the protest online through social media
Taking a dig at the railways department and Ludhiana municipal corporation (MC) over delay in completion of Jagraon bridge project, different NGOs staged a symbolic protest and observed the fourth ‘death anniversary’ of the bridge on Tuesday.
Due to imposition of Section 144 in the district, some members reached the spot while others observed the protest online through social media. The members of Yuva, an NGO, staged a drama wherein an imposter ‘Kumbhkaran’ depicted the authorities and the other members tried to wake him up from deep slumber so the construction work could be expedited.
Social activists Satpal Singh and Gurpal Singh Grewal said, “The residents are bearing the brunt of the delay. The project has missed several deadlines, but the work has still not been completed. This has resulted in traffic bottlenecks at the bridge.”
Rahul Verma, member of an NGO, Sambhav, said, “The work is going on but the pace is too slow. The railways has almost completed its work but MC needs to expedite the construction of retaining wall and approach road at one side of the bridge.”
Some residents also took to social media and took a dig at the authorities.
Mayor Balkar Sandhu, who had earlier claimed that the bridge would be opened for traffic by the mid-August, could not be reached for comments.
In July 2016, the railways department had closed one leg of Jagraon Bridge that lead to traffic chaos in the city. Since then, residents have been pressurising the district administration to expedite the construction work of the bridge.
