E-Paper
Ludhiana: Commuters irked as part of Pakhowal Road caves in
Civic body officials rushed to the spot and placed a trolley to block heavy vehicle movement, preventing further damage; workers then repaired the leakage, claiming the issue had been resolved
A portion of Pakhowal Road near the indoor stadium caved in on Saturday morning, causing panic among commuters. The incident, which occurred due to leakage from two private water and sewer connections, is the third such case in just one week.
Although the MC sewer line was not damaged, the repeated incidents have shaken public confidence in road safety during the rainy season. Many residents now feel that driving on city roads has become risky, especially after recent cave-ins near Near Shingaar Cinema on July 22, at Mintgumri Chowk on August 2 and at Fountain Chowk on August 4.
The problem came to light around 8 am when residents noticed a deep crater, with water visibly flowing underground. The timing worsened the situation as it was Raksha Bandhan, and Pakhowal Road was packed with people heading to meet family members.
Arvind Sharma, a resident of SBS Nagar who was passing by, spotted the damaged road and immediately alerted others. “This is extremely dangerous. In the last two incidents, we were lucky that no one got hurt. But if authorities do not take such issues seriously, it could lead to a tragedy,” he said.
Civic body officials rushed to the spot and placed a trolley to block heavy vehicle movement, preventing further damage. Workers then repaired the leakage, claiming the issue had been resolved. “The leakage was detected at two points and has been fixed. There is no major problem now,” an MC official stated.
However, residents remained unconvinced. Arvind Sharma, a civic activist, warned that many busy city roads have small cracks and depressions that could turn into dangerous sinkholes if ignored. “What the MC is doing is only a temporary patchwork. Without a permanent solution, the problem will return,” he added.
The incident has once again raised questions about the quality of road construction and the monitoring of underground water and sewer lines. With the monsoon still active, residents fear that more such cave-ins could occur if preventive inspections are not carried out.
For now, traffic on the damaged portion of Pakhowal Road remains restricted. Commuters have been advised to use alternative routes until full repairs are completed.
