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Ludhiana: Road-carpeting delay hitting biz, dust causing health issues, say locals
Even though the pipes have been laid, the road hasn’t been black topped yet, which stirs up sand due to heavy traffic on the road, leading to air pollution
A dug up section of College Road near Ghumar Mandi area remains damaged due to delay in black topping process, causing trouble to commuters. The road was dug up over a month back due to the pipe laying process under the canal water supply project.
Even though the pipes have been laid, the road hasn’t been black topped yet, which stirs up sand due to heavy traffic on the road, leading to air pollution. The shopkeepers complain that the dust rising from the road spreads in the atmosphere leaving the articles covered in a layer of dust.
Sandeep Puri, who runs a shop by the road, said, “dust is the biggest problem because it damages the stock kept inside. Ensuring cleanliness has become very difficult due to the condition of the road.”
Another shopkeeper, Rishi, also shared similar concerns. He said that if the dust problem is reduced and cleanliness improves, more people will visit the market and local shops, which will help businesses grow again. Street vendors in the area also complained about the situation. They said that dust from the broken road settles on food items, making it difficult for them to work properly and serve customers. The dust is not just spoiling businesses but also affecting the health of the people who live and work in the area.
Rajinder, another shopkeeper, said that dust is affecting his health and he has to wear a mask while sitting at his shop. Traffic congestion has increased in the area due to the damaged road, causing inconvenience to commuters and customers.
Superintending engineer, building and roads cell, municipal corporation, Sham Lal Gupta, said, “We have asked the sewerage board several times to cover the damaged section of road. It is under their scope of work as it is a part of their project.” Superintending engineer, sewerage board, Parul Goyal, when approached for a comment, did not respond to the multiple calls.
