Ludhiana commuters irked as cops close cut near railway under-bridge

The closure of the cut has led to challenges for commuters travelling from Dugri to Hero Bakery and Sarabha Nagar

Commuters were left a hassled lot after the traffic police closed the cut around the Pakhowal road bridge for a week to streamline traffic near the Pakhowal railway under-bridge and road over-bridge.

Commuters allege alternative traffic plan is ‘inadequate’. (Manish/HT)

The closure of the cut has led to challenges for commuters travelling from Dugri to Hero Bakery and Sarabha Nagar. While authorities have proposed two options for managing traffic in the area, commuters expressed concerns about their effectiveness.

Traffic police closed cut on Saturday evening and many commuters struggled to navigate the new routes. Some of the hassled commuters claimed that Monday would serve as the true test day for these traffic management strategies.

City resident Saksham Juneja said, “This involves taking a U-turn from Vikas Nagar crossing, which poses challenges due to oncoming traffic. The second option entails opening the cut near the canal bridge to allow traffic from Dugri to turn right for entry into Model Town Extension. There is lack of a clear-cut solution to the issue”.

Residents said that there are safety concerns associated with a cut near canal bridge, particularly regarding the opening of the cut at Jawadi. Previous attempts to open this cut by the municipal corporation Ludhiana resulted in fatal accidents, raising questions about the viability of this option, they alleged.

Assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Charanjiv Lamba said, “We have closed the cut to manage the traffic congestion. This cut has been closed for a week and further decisions will be taken following the commuters response and after inputs from the MC.”