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Ludhiana: Traders count losses as water enters shops
Among the city’s busiest commercial places known for its hustle and bustle, the market at New Shivpuri Road lays quiet and deserted as water flowing in reverse from the Buddha Nullah has inundated the area
Markets in New Shivpuri Road shut for 5 days
: Among the city’s busiest commercial places known for its hustle and bustle, the market at New Shivpuri Road lays quiet and deserted as water flowing in reverse from the Buddha Nullah has inundated the area.
The businesses here, including showrooms and shops selling groceries and medicine, are lying shut for the last five days as the reverse flow from the Buddha Nullah has submerged their shops causing financial loss to the owners.
According to shopkeepers, as the Buddha Nullah started flowing in reverse in the late hours on Saturday, the water entered the shop and goods worth lakhs were damaged. They added that they had not expected that the level of the nullah would go high so suddenly that they would not be able to shift their goods to a safer place.
As the new Shivpuri Chowk connects the areas, including Mata Rani Chowk and other markets in the old city area, the residents faced a lot of inconvenience. The new Shivpuri Road hosts at least around 100 outlets, and the locality which is densely populated also hosts residential and industrial establishments associated with textile.
“The market has been flooded up to at least four feet and there is no way one can enter the market and open the shop. Even if we open the shop, there is no way customers can reach here,” said Ramesh Mehan, who owns a grocery store.
He added that he spent the intervening night between Sunday and Monday shifting the goods to a safe place as the danger of more rains and flooding looms large.
Gurpreet Malhotra, who owns a medical store in the area, said that the market had a footfall of around 10,000 people per day. The road connecting the area with markets in the old city used to see heavy traffic, but now it has been lying deserted for the last five days.
Some of the businesses have shifted their stock outside the flooded area temporarily from where they were operating.
Along with the business owners, the residents in the area are also struggling to procure basic items, including food. Mahesh Verma, who lives in new Shivpuri, said that the houses in the localities have been flooded with sewage water as the drainage system has stopped functioning due to the flooding of nullah. He said that they are fearing for the future as there are predictions that it will rain in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the teams of Municipal Corporation have installed pumping machines in the area and sewage lines have been temporarily closed.
