The simultaneous road repair works at the two main entry points of Transport Nagar has left transporters struggling, especially ahead of the crucial hosiery season.
Transporters have highlighted their angst over the delays in completion of road re-carpeting work initiated by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on both sides of the service lane along the Jalandhar-Delhi Highway.
The repair work, which began on July 23, was expected to be done by the end of August. However, due to heavy traffic, NHAI officials couldn’t close the road, causing further delays. This road is a key entry point to Transport Nagar, where vehicles from Delhi, Ambala, Jalandhar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Jaipur transit to ferry goods.
Meanwhile, the second entry point near Cheema Chowk has also been disrupted as the municipal corporation has dismantled the road for revamp, worsening the problems for transporters.
DS Transport Corporation manager Ved Sharma said, “There are around 4,600 truckers in Transport Nagar who are suffering severe losses. Due to dangerous potholes on NHAI lane, heavy trucks often capsize, forcing us to pay ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 for lifting them.”
Former president of Ludhiana Goods Transport Association JP Agarwal asserted, “The NHAI lane has been in bad condition for years, where he had raised several complaints with then NHAI project director Krishan Lal Sachdeva but nothing concrete happened. He added that around 5,000 trucks pass through Transport Nagar daily but still the roads here remained pathetic.”
{{/usCountry}}Former president of Ludhiana Goods Transport Association JP Agarwal asserted, “The NHAI lane has been in bad condition for years, where he had raised several complaints with then NHAI project director Krishan Lal Sachdeva but nothing concrete happened. He added that around 5,000 trucks pass through Transport Nagar daily but still the roads here remained pathetic.”
{{/usCountry}}Ludhiana Goods Transport Association press secretary Jagdish Singh Jassewa said, “In peak hosiery season, the ongoing works have affected our business, leading to loss of crores. Since NHAI construction on the main road, truckers have been using the Cheema Chowk entry, which is now also closed for repairs by the municipal corporation.”
Municipal corporation zone B superintending engineer Ranjit Singh said, “We started the work in response to the demands of the transporters. We dismantled the road on Wednesday, and if the weather remains clear, the repairs on this side will be completed within two to three days.”