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Ludhiana: Four months since order, re-carpeting work of Southern Bypass project yet to begin
The Southern Bypass project, which was initially completed in 2011 at a cost of ₹328 crore, has not seen any re-carpeting of the road in the past 11 years. Only a patch of the road was addressed two years ago
Despite an order for the revamp work of the Southern Bypass project being issued four months ago, the ₹53 crore project to re-carpet the 26 km stretch from Ferozepur road Ludhiana junction to Doraha is yet to begin. Damaged roads and big potholes on the road, meanwhile, continue to put commuters’ lives at risk.
The Southern Bypass project, which was initially completed in 2011 at a cost of ₹328 crore, has not seen any re-carpeting of the road in the past 11 years. Only a patch of the road was addressed two years ago.
Public works department (PWD) officials said the tender of the project was given to Satish and Aggarwal Company and a work order was issued on April 13. However, after questions were raised by the residents on how the tender was passed to the firm as its bid capacity was not eligible, a notice was issued to the company indicating its ineligibility for the project.
PWD executive engineer Randhir Singh said, “The work order for the project was released on April 13. I have formally notified the Satish and Aggarwal Company that they are not eligible to continue as contractors as the firm does not have enough machinery and other backup due to their ongoing commitments with other projects. A detailed report was compiled to terminate the contract, which was submitted to senior officials and also uploaded on the government’s online portal. I have been persistently urging higher authorities to make the final decision, given the ongoing delay of the project.”
The condition of the road extending from Jawadi Bridge to Dugri has raised concerns among the residents and commuters due to the presence of large potholes that have resulted in accidents. The deteriorated road conditions have led to growing demands for immediate repairs.
Manwinder Singh, a shopkeeper on Jawadi Bridge Road, said, “More than 10 accidents occur regularly due to the major potholes on this road. I appeal to the authorities to address this issue by re-carpeting the road, as its condition has deteriorated significantly over the past several years.”
Hartek Singh, a resident of the Dugri area, said, “I have to use this road daily to get home, and it is very challenging due to the large potholes. The centre verge boulders have also been damaged for years and even the road’s reflectors are broken. I urge the authorities to initiate the re-carpeting of the Southern Bypass.”
PWD chief engineer Paramjit Arora said, “I am not yet in possession of the officers’ report. I will request the officers to provide the necessary file, enabling us to make a decision regarding either terminating or continuing the project with the existing contractor.”
The PWD department had estimated the cost for the project ₹80 crore but during the financial bid, the tender closed for ₹53 crore, which includes ₹50 crore for the project and ₹3 crore for the maintenance for the next five years.
