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Ludhiana | Residents block Haibowal Road for three hours
Irked by the choked sewer, dug up road, the shopkeepers and residents of main Haibowal Road staged a protest and blocked main road for over three hours; the agitation was lifted after councillor Bhatia assured that the issue of choked sewer lines will be resolved by December 20 and the road construction work will be expedited.
At a time when chief minister (CM) Charanjit Singh Channi was announcing different development projects in the city on Thursday, shopkeepers and residents of Haibowal main road staged a protest against the state government, congress councillor Harvinder Bhatia (Rocky) and MLA Rakesh Pandey over the pathetic condition of main Haibowal Road and choked sewer lines. The shopkeepers blocked the main road for over three hours.
The protest obstructed smooth flow of traffic and public had to switch to diverted routes. The agitation was lifted after councillor Bhatia assured that the issue of choked sewer lines will be resolved by December 20 and the road construction work will be expedited.
Protestors’ woes
One of the shopkeepers, Rajinder Matharoo stated that repeated complaints have been submitted with the MC officials, the councillor and MLA, but to no avail. The road has been dug up for over seven months and the work has still not been completed despite it being the main road. Sewer water accumulation and filthy conditions are adding to the woes, but the councillor and authorities are not bothered. “We were forced to stage a protest and will again raise an agitation if the issue of choked lines is not resolved by December 20, as assured by the councillor. The business has been affected badly due to the potholed road,” said the shopkeeper.
The shopkeepers said that road cave-in incidents have also taken place in the past and two occupants had a narrow escape when a road portion caved in and their car got stuck in the pit in the month of October. Road accidents are also taking place due to potholed road and business has been impacted badly, but the authorities are not paying heed to the issue.
Same state at Jassiyan Road
Former district president of BJP and former councillor Rajiv Katna stated that the area has been completely ignored by the MC, councillor Bhatia and MLA Rakesh Pandey. Even the shopkeepers at Jassiyan Road had staged a protest over the pathetic condition of the road last week. The public is bearing the brunt for the apathy of authorities and elected representatives.
Despite attempts made to reach councillor Bhatia and MLA Pandey, they were not available for comments. MC SDO, Anshul Garcha stated that the work of laying the sewer lines got delayed due to ongoing pandemic and monsoon season. The issue regarding the sewer lines will be resolved in a few days.
