Ludhiana: Residents see red over open gullies, manholes

A man and his kids sustained injuries after falling into a manhole in Giaspura on Tuesday; a video of the incident had gone viral; residents say inaction over such hazards, particularly in high-traffic areas, is frustrating.

A day after a video surfaced on social media, showing a biker and his two children falling into a manhole near East Chowk in Giaspura, residents raised concerns over neglected road hazards across the city.

An uncovered road gully near Cheema Chowk in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (HT photo)

Despite the incident making waves, the Municipal Corporation (MC) is yet to take action to address the growing menace of open gullies, manholes and pits that are left unattended across the city. Local residents say inaction over such hazards, particularly in high-traffic areas, is frustrating. They further note that despite repeated concerns about open gullies and manholes, particularly around Cheema Chowk, Giaspura Chowk and Vardhaman Chowk, no action has been taken to cover them, leaving commuters at risk.

Anmol Singh, a resident of Police Colony, Jamalpur, said, “It has been over a month since I noticed an open road gully at Vardhaman Chowk which caters to a large traffic but no one from the authorities has taken steps to cover it.”

When contacted, Parshotam Lal, XEN of the MC’s operations and maintenance branch, deflected the responsibility to the buildings and roads (B&R) wing of the civic body, stating that his branch is responsible only for the maintenance of manholes. “The corporation’s sewermen regularly inspect various spots to ensure manholes are safe. The road gullies’ responsibility lies with the B&R wing,” he added.

Regarding the viral video of the Giaspura incident, Lal claimed the accident occurred when labourers were on lunch break. Blaming residents for “carelessly shuttling through restricted zones, he said barricades were set up around the area. He also stated that the sewage work in the area was completed by Tuesday night.

According to residents, foggy season is approaching and the MC’s negligence can lead to more mishaps.