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Ludhiana’s road repair work hit as gravel supply runs dry amid mining restrictions hampers
Ludhiana MC officials said the gravel was the basic requirement at the hot mix plant and was needed to carry out road repair work
At a time when potholes have turned city roads into a nightmare for commuters, restrictions imposed on mining in different parts of the state have hit the repair works due to non-availability of gravel with the municipal corporation (MC).
The civic body officials said the gravel was the basic requirement at the hot mix plant and different departments including the public works department (PWD) are facing the same issue. A small quantity of material is available with the department for emergency purposes, but the same cannot suffice the requirement of the entire city.
Potholes have troubled the residents in Dugri, Shastri Nagar, Model Town extension, Gill road, Haibowal among other areas.
Heavy rainfall witnessed during monsoon season only added to the commuters’ woes as the depth of the potholes has increased and gravel has made its way to the roads — making them more prone to accidents.
Small window for repairs
The work to repair the roads traditionally starts towards the end of September or the beginning of October every year. But this time, the work has been delayed due to non-availability of the crusher.
Notably, the civic body only has a month or so to repair the roads and hot mix plant cannot be run during cold weather conditions
Officials, meanwhile, said the problem is being faced across the state due to mining restrictions and unavailability of gravel, adding that the state government and higher authorities were in the know of the issue.
Unimpressed, residents said the civic body, being a government department, should take up the matter with the state.
“Rather, the MC should have purchased the gravel in advance given the impending repairs at this time of the year. The residents always have to bear the brunt for the failure of MC. The main road in Model Town Gol market has been in a bad shape for a long time and accidents also took place during the rainy season, but authorities are not paying heed to the issue,” said Sharanjit Singh, a resident of Chaar Khamba road in Model Town.
A resident of Shastri Nagar, Sidak, meanwhile, said, “Potholes have also developed at the roads which have been recently constructed by the civic body. If the authorities cannot keep a check on the quality, they should at least take up repair works on a regular basis.”
Speaking on the issue, Mayor Balkar Sandhu said it has come to his knowledge that the government was planning to ease some of the mining restrictions and as soon as garvel is available, the MC will commence the work to repair the roads of the city.
He added that the civic body would first cover the main roads before moving on to internal roads/streets.
Development work also takes a hit
Earlier, the contractors working with the civic body had also expressed helplessness in completing the road construction works in absence of adequate gravel, with many saying that there had been no supply from any of the state.
They pointed out that if gravel was to be ordered from other states, it would cost double the amount per square feet.
