Ludhiana: Potholed roads trouble residents
The Municipal Corporation (MC) had over a year ago purchased two advanced pothole patching machines, costing ₹3.86 crore, but residents say these haven’t been utilised to the fullest to make the roads smooth
Potholes on a number of roads have been inconveniencing the residents of the city for a long time. Potholes are a common sight on key roads, including Pakhowal Road, Haibowal, Field Ganj, Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, Chandan Nagar, Jassian Road, Barewal Road, CMC Road and Dhoka Mohalla.
The Municipal Corporation (MC) had over a year ago purchased two advanced pothole patching machines, costing ₹3.86 crore, but residents say these haven’t been utilised to the fullest to make the roads smooth. Officials say these have been deployed in two zones of the civic body and thus not sufficient to cover the entire area under the MC. Officials also say that road repair work will gain momentum once the hot mix plant resumes operations after the winter.
A group of residents said both machines are seen usually stationed at the sub-fire office, Hambran road. “We had high hopes that these machines will provide some relief, but the condition of roads is still terrible. Potholes continue to trigger traffic jams, accidents and damage to vehicles,” said Rajiv Sharma, a commuter from Dugri.
Another resident, Amanpreet Kaur from Haibowal, said, “The roads are so bad that driving even short distances has become a nightmare. The authorities should act fast before any major accident happens. Whenever I pass through Hambran road, I see the pothole patching machines stationed at the sub-fire office. I have never seen these machines being put to use.”
Officials admit that each machine takes nearly an hour to fix just one pothole, which has slowed down the overall repair process. To make the matters worse, the MC’s hot mix plant has been shut since November due to winter, further delaying the maintenance work. Officials say that repair work will gain momentum soon once the hot mix plant resumes operations.
The idea behind purchasing these two machines was to put these to use even in winters when the hot mix plant is not operational. MC executive engineer Balwinder Singh said, “These two machines are not sufficient as these are continuously working in MC’s Zone A and D. There was a proposal to purchase two more such machines, but the plan was dropped due to shortage of funds.”
Mayor Inderjit kaur said, “I have already called upon the officials to issue a proper schedule for the working of these machines so that the same can be utilised properly.”