Ludhiana residents raise hue and cry over slow pace of project to cover nullah

Ludhiana residents rued that choked sewer lines due to the ongoing project to cover the nullah and frequent supply of contaminated water was adding to the woes of residents of Shivaji Nagar area

Raising a hue and cry over the slow pace of the project to cover the nullah (internal drain) moving through Shivaji Nagar, the residents of the area led by area councillor Parvinder Kaur’s son Simran Singh met mayor Balkar Sandhu at Zone D office on Tuesday.

Mayor Sandhu said that directions had been issued to superintending engineer Parveen Singla to expedite the project of covering the nullah and resolve the issues regarding the overflowing sewer lines in Ludhiana. (Representative Image/HT File)

The residents rued that choked sewer lines due to the ongoing work to cover the drain and frequent supply of contaminated water was adding to the woes of residents of Shivaji Nagar area, while the municipal corporation (MC) officials had failed to resolve the issue despite repeated complaints.

Singh’s brother, Gauravjit, also got into a heated argument with mayor Sandhu during the meeting. “The project of covering the nullah is moving at a slow pace and not even a single MC official visits the site to know about the problems being faced by the residents. As the nullah is being covered, the drain has to be plugged from different points. Due to blockage, sewer water remains accumulated in the streets due to which unhygienic conditions prevail in the area. Foul smell ads to the woes. The accumulated water also gets mixed with the fresh water supply lines resulting in contaminated supply in the area,” said Singh.

“We have been highlighting the issues in front of the MC officials, but to no avail. We were forced to meet the mayor on Tuesday. Action should be taken against the contractor and the concerned officials,” he added.

Mayor Sandhu said that directions had been issued to superintending engineer Parveen Singla to expedite the work of covering the nullah and resolve the issues regarding the overflowing sewer lines. Singla has been directed to commence the proceedings to blacklist the contractor if he fails to work properly or delays the project.

The project to cover around 1.4 km-long stretch of the nullah, worth ₹17.85 crore, commenced in the month of September last year, with a deadline of March 2022. The residents forebode that the project would certainly miss the deadline and action should be taken against the officials concerned and the contractor.