E-Paper
Ludhiana mayor pulls up officials for dropping the ball on smart-road project
The smart road project at Malhar Road includes establishment of a storm-water sewer, 24/7 water supply, underground wiring, cycle tracks, and beautification among other components
Rapping officials for dropping the ball on the smart-road project, the mayor on Wednesday flagged several anomalies that had caused waterlogging on the Malhar Road on Wednesday and directed officials to rectify them at the earliest.
The rainfall on Wednesday exposed the chinks in the civic body’s planning as the road became waterlogged as usual despite the installation of sewer lines in the area. Around ₹38 crore is being spent on developing the Malhar Road into a smart road, and the Sarabha Nagar market retrofitting project. The deadline of the project is September-end.
During an inspection, mayor Balkar Sandhu, municipal corporation (MC) commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal and councillor Mamta Ashu pointed out that the interlocking tiles were not level, and there were depressions in the interlocking at a few places, which was causing the upcoming smart road to become waterlogged. A shopkeeper in the area pointed out that carving out a walking area outside commercial units had left little space for parking.
The mayor said,” Action will be taken against officials as well if they fail to monitor the quality of work. We carried out the inspection when it was raining heavily to identify the problem areas. While we are working to eliminate the persisting waterlogging issues across the city, the problem should be nipped in the bid in projects that are still underway.”
The smart road project at Malhar Road includes establishment of a storm-water sewer, 24/7 water supply, underground wiring, cycle tracks, and beautification among other components.
