Chandigarh: Bitumen machines removed from Sukhna Lake after walkers see red over black smoke

We received a complaint regarding the pollution being created by the bitumen boiler at Sukhna Lake and immediately directed the contractor to remove it from the spot, said Chandigarh chief engineer CB Ojha

Hours after visitors at Sukhna Lake raised hue and cry over air pollution being caused by bitumen boilers, the UT engineering department swung into action and shifted the equipment that was being used to lay bitumen to upgrade the jogging track.

Workers laying bitumen as part of setting up the synthetic jogging track at Sukhna Lake. The bitumen equipment was later removed after residents’ objections against air pollution. (Sant Arora/HT)

“We received a complaint regarding the pollution being created by the bitumen boiler at Sukhna Lake and immediately directed the contractor to remove it from the spot,” said UT chief engineer CB Ojha.

The matter was highlighted by former Punjab IAS officer KBS Sidhu who was out for a walk here.

Stating that smoke from such machines was inevitable while the upgraded synthetic track was being laid, city-based environmentalist Paveela Bali said, “The authorities must make an effort not to inconvenience people. All over the world, roads are laid at night and that must be considered here as well.”

Ojha clarified that laying bitumen was essential to preparing the synthetic track being constructed here. He added that the project was proceeding as planned.

Meanwhile, the jogging track’s concretisation also drew the ire of runners. A regular for the past 30 years, Swadesh Talwar said a soft surface track was essential for those medically advised not to run on concrete paths.

For years, the lake has had a 4.9 feet wide cinder track that is 1,800 metres long. But officials said it was inconvenient for runners due to dust and insufficient absorption ability, besides requiring careful maintenance. Thus, the UT had decided to replace the cinder track with a 6 feet wide synthetic track that will be more convenient for jogging and running.

“The synthetic track will be durable, weather resistant, environment friendly and will require low maintenance. Therefore, it will also be suitable for running in different weather conditions, which is not possible in the case of cinder track,” officials of the UT administration said.

The UT administrator had given in-principle approval for the synthetic track on July 7 last year. The Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee had earlier also given its go-ahead to the proposal. The track starts from the lake police post and ends near the Garden of Silence.