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Ludhiana: Civic body clears way for road to martyr Sukhdev’s ancestral house
Members of the martyr Sukhdev Thapar Memorial Trust welcomed the development and expressed hope that the administration would now expedite the demolition and road construction
Bringing an end to months of delays and inter-departmental buck-passing, the municipal corporation on Sunday took possession of a 44.50-square-yard property that had been obstructing the creation of direct access to the ancestral house of martyr Sukhdev Thapar. The action was carried out in the presence of police personnel and the tehsildar.
Officials said the process was completed without any resistance as the property owner had already begun vacating the premises after receiving official directions. Civic body teams reached the site in the morning and waited for officials from the district administration and the police before formally taking over the building. A notice declaring the property as belonging to the civic body was pasted on the door, following which the premises were locked.
After the structure is demolished, the civic body plans to construct a road linking Chaura Bazaar directly to Naughara Mohalla, which will significantly improve access to the martyr’s ancestral house.
Senior deputy mayor Rakesh Prashar said, “In all, five properties were identified as obstacles in the proposed alignment. Of these, the 44.50-square-yard building was the largest obstruction. Work related to two smaller portions, measuring around three and five square yards, is already underway. One of the property owners has voluntarily donated land, while negotiations are at an advanced stage with the owner of the fifth property, who has indicated willingness to part with the land.”
Members of the martyr Sukhdev Thapar Memorial Trust welcomed the development and expressed hope that the administration would now expedite the demolition and road construction. They pointed out that March 23, the death anniversary of martyrs Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, is approaching and urged officials to ensure that devotees and visitors can reach the site conveniently by then.
Earlier, in October last year, the civic body had commissioned a structural safety audit of four buildings falling within the alignment of the proposed road. The assessment, conducted by Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, recommended manual demolition of the structures, citing their age of over four decades and the risk of damage to adjoining buildings if mechanical methods were used.
The expert report stated that all affected and adjoining buildings should be vacated during demolition. It further advised that dismantling should begin from the top floors, with debris being safely channelled to the ground through chutes to avoid stress on lower slabs.
Senior deputy mayor Rakesh Prashar said the civic body would ensure that the project is executed in a safe and time-bound manner.
