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A bumpy ride for Ludhiana commuters on Southern Bypass
With potholes that span several feet, the busy stretch connecting Ferozpur road to Doraha has not undergone any major repair in the last 11 years
The dilapidated, potholed-riddled Southern Bypass road poses a grave danger to city commuters — especially with a drop in visibility amid the prevailing foggy weather.
With potholes that span several feet, the busy stretch connecting Ferozpur road to Doraha has not undergone any major repair in the last 11 years.
The portion of the road that falls under the city limit has been worst-hit by the potholes and often brings traffic movement to a halt at several points — giving way to long traffic jams during peak hours. Adding to the chaos is the congestion on intersections and the absence of proper traffic control measures.
Several commuters rued the authorities turning a blind eye to the harassment being meted out to them on a daily basis. The motorists also complained that the bumpy rides on the stretch, which falls under the jurisdiction of the state public works department (PWD), often damages their two-wheelers and leaves them prone to accidents.
Narrating her daily ordeal, Deeksha Sharma said, “Travelling on the road on my two-wheeler has led to issues for my neck and back, The authorities should immediately repair the potholes as there is a risk of mishap during the early hours of the morning and at night when they are hardly visible.”
She added that reflectors and signs should be installed near the big potholes to caution the commuters.
Bhupinder Singh, who lives in a residential colony near Lohara, echoed the sentiment, saying, “It is very risky to travel, on several occasions I had a close shave with accidents.”
A number of commuters travelling to and from neighbouring cities including Khanna, Moga, and Chandigarh use the road to bypass the city’s traffic. They, however, have also been bearing the brunt of the damaged road.
“The situation of the road has gone bad to worse in the last year, until the project to recarpet the road is in process, the authorities should get the potholes filled as a temporary respite,” Sandeep Kumar, a resident of Doraha said.
Mridula Jain, an industrialist and chairperson of the Public Police Foundation (PPF), said, “It is an utter lack of planning on the part of authorities as no separate passage for the residential colonies along the highway has been devised. The haphazard traffic movement creates bottlenecks on the bridges with people getting stuck in jams for over 45 minutes.”
Responding to a query about the management on the stretch, a traffic police officer on duty said, “As I am the only person deployed here it is very hard for a single person to manage the flow of traffic coming from all four directions, at times many suspicious vehicles go unchecked as I mostly remain busy in easing the traffic flow.”
Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP, operations and special branch) Sameer Verma, meanwhile, attributed the problem to infrastructural gaps, adding that bridges need to be redesigned as per the requirements to streamline the flow of vehicles.
Double layering on the cards
The public works department (PWD) has mooted a project for double layering of the road at an estimated cost of ₹74.68 crore. The project will be jointly funded by Greater Ludhiana Development Authority (GLADA) and the state government who have agreed to bear half of the expenses.
PWD executive engineer Davinderpal Singh said, “Project to lay dense bituminous macadam (DBM) and bituminous macadam (BM) is expected to get approval in the coming days, after which the tender will be opened. We are planning to first complete the portion which falls in the city.”
