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Ludhiana: 500 projects cleared in a month; sewer, parks in focus
The development works in Ludhiana mainly include re-carpeting of roads, installation of interlocking tiles, tubewell setups and park maintenance; residents say they have never seen such urgency in the past
With the West assembly by-election just around the corner, the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation (MC) has fast-tracked a flurry of development projects, clearing more than 500 works in just one month. Over 50% of these projects fall under the West constituency where Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora is contesting. The approvals were granted during the last three meetings of the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC), signalling a major infrastructure push just before the expected announcement of the poll schedule.
The development works mainly include re-carpeting of roads, installation of interlocking tiles, tubewell setups and park maintenance. Residents say they have never seen such urgency before.
“For years, our road was in a terrible state. Suddenly, it’s being fixed. We welcome the work, but why did it take a by-election for them to act?” asked Ramesh Kumar, a resident of Haibowal.
According to documents seen by Hindustan Times, the MC has also hired 71 daily-wage workers specifically for park maintenance in the West constituency. These workers will receive ₹11,796 per month for a year, costing the civic body over ₹1 crore. The move is being viewed by residents as an effort to showcase visible changes on the ground.
In another major decision, the MC has approved projects worth over ₹4 crore for desilting sewer lines using super suction machines. Civic officials claim this work is essential to prevent urban flooding in the coming monsoon season, especially in low-lying areas of West Ludhiana that are prone to waterlogging.
While MC officials insist the projects were already in the pipeline and are being cleared based on public demand, the timing of the approvals has raised political speculation. “We’ve been demanding sewer repairs for years. If elections are what finally get the authorities to act, then so be it,” said Harpreet Kaur, a resident of New Vishal Nagar.
The West Assembly seat fell vacant following the death of sitting MLA Gurpreet Gogi. The Election Commission is expected to announce dates soon.
Senior MC officials, when asked about the flurry of approvals, maintained that “no rules are being bypassed” and that the projects were “pending due to procedural delays which have now been cleared”.
“Work is being done purely based on priority and public interest. The timing is coincidental,” said an MC official, requesting anonymity.
Despite repeated attempts, MC commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal was not available for comments.
Former cabinet minister Bharat Bhusan Ashu, Congress nominee from the Ludhiana West assembly constituency, said, “It is good that development projects for this constituency are coming but funds should be utilised in a good and transparent manner.”
Sanjeev Arora, AAP nominee from the constituency, said, “Projects are allocated following the demands of the councillors. Projects can be more in West but my all schemes, including park maintanence and transformer installation, are for the whole city. The Rose Garden project is sub-judice. It will start soon.”
District BJP president Rajnish Dhiman said, “Funds are only being used in the West constituency as most of the projects fall in this area. People are aware that the development works are being carried out just to gather votes.”
