E-Paper
Construction at Bharat Nagar chowk halts Ludhiana
Apart from the congestion at Bharat Nagar chowk, plumes of dust have made the conditions worse for the two-wheelers and the people coming from different parts of Ludhiana
Traffic movement at the city’s busiest intersection — Bharat Nagar chowk — has been taken over by congestion and chaos as extensive construction work has been initiated at the intersection under the elevated road project causing serious inconvenience to the commuters who have no alternative but to bear the harassment.
With the commencement of digging work to install the pillars underway on the major portion of the intersection, the commuters coming from and going towards Ferozepur road have been left with just a few feet wide narrow stretches, that too are riddled with potholes and construction material strewn across them.
Adding to the woes of motorists, including heavy vehicles are dilapidated slip roads, the ripple effect of which leads to long jams and traffic bottlenecks throughout the day on the roads leading to and coming from bus stand, Jagraon bridge, Ferozepur road, and the Mall road.
Apart from the congestion, plumes of dust have made the conditions worse for the two-wheelers and the people coming from different parts of the cities, neighbouring towns and villages using public transport including buses, and autos.
Pankaj Sood, a South City resident said during the morning it becomes very hard to cross the intersection due to a lack of proper arrangements, the traffic moves from all directions, and a lot of people jump traffic lights that have been installed.
Sharing the ordeal he faces on a regular basis, he added that at times it takes over 20 minutes to just cross a few hundred metres stretch from the Bus stand towards Ferozepur which houses the city’s number of public and private establishments, Punjab Agricultural University and posh residential colonies.
Sukhpreet Kaur, a resident of Jagroan added that she studies at the government college and boards the bus to her town from Bharat Nagar chowk and due to construction, there is no waiting space left for the people who travel on the bus. She further said the passengers which also include several senior citizens are forced to hurriedly push themselves into the bus in the absence of any dedicated stoppage.
A traffic police officer on duty said that teams of officials on each side of the intersection are required to control the huge proportion of vehicle flow, but there are hardly three or four officers on duty due to a shortage of staff. He added that police were expecting the traffic marshals will be deployed by the highway authorities with other required measures for the convenience of the residents, but there is not any development on that front so far.
Shopkeepers rue indifference
Several shopkeepers housed on the lane shared that since the construction work started in 2018, the issue of plumes of dust has not been dealt with. It has also created many health-related complications for them.
An NHAI official said that the special vehicle sprinkles water on the road two times a day to which Vishal, a shopkeeper countered saying one vehicle for such a huge stretch is not enough. He added that anti-smog guns purchased by the municipal showed only for a day after which they were never used.
NHAI project director KL Sachdeva recently said to expedite the work now the construction activity also continues in the night hours and the number of staff has also doubled to meet the deadline.
The elevated road project extending from Samrala chowk to Octroi on Ferozepur road began in October 2017. While it was supposed to be completed by 2020 initially, the deadline has now been pushed to July 2023.
