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Nothing smart about Sarabha Nagar of Ludhiana
The area which was chosen under the ambitious smart city mission suffers from erratic water supply, lack of cleanliness and a plethora of other problems
At a time when the authorities are making tall claims regarding development projects being taken up under the Smart City Mission in Sarabha Nagar and its surrounding areas, residents in one of the posh areas of the city being developed under the mission are a harried lot due to “unplanned” development projects.
With roads dug up for over eight months, erratic water supply in the area for the last two weeks and no proper cleanliness, the residents of Block-B of Sarabha Nagar rued that the mission had caused a plethora of problems rather than facilitating them.
The residents said their area was selected under the area-based development (ABD)— one of the components of the Smart City Mission. The authorities made tall claims of development and assured a 24/7 water supply. The roads were dug up for laying supply lines, but the residents are now bearing the brunt of the apathy of the civic body officials and public representatives.
Manmohan Singh, a local, said rather than providing a 24/7 water supply, the authorities had even failed to provide supply during regular hours. “Residents have been raising a hue and cry over the disruptions in the supply for months and the problem has turned severe in the last two weeks. We even struggle to get water for drinking and other purposes,” he said.
The residents said the authorities had failed to resolve their problems despite repeated complaints to MC officials and councillor Amrit Varsha Rampal.
Naini, another resident, said due to the pathetic condition of roads, they do not allow their children to play outside. Further, waterlogging had added to their woes during the rainy season. Due to the lack of cleanliness, there are also chances of mosquito breeding in the area.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson and a resident of the area, Ahbab Grewal said some of the residents were forced to get the areas outside their houses cemented on their own as the authorities failed to reconstruct roads. Though the work at parks in the area is incomplete, the authorities have completed the projects in their records. Similar problems are also being witnessed in other blocks of Sarabha Nagar.
It was learnt that there is some problem with the tubewell or pump installed by the MC and the situation is getting worse. The authorities should at least streamline the water supply in the area. Due to the shortage of parking space in the Sarabha Nagar market and Malhar road, residents park their vehicles in residential areas resulting in congestion and nuisance, said Grewal.
Councillor Amrit Varsha Rampal could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. Pardeep Sabharwal, commissioner, MC, said water supply/sewer lines had to be installed in the ABD area and that had to be done in phases so that residents should not face any trouble. “All roads/streets can’t be dug up simultaneously. The work to install the lines will be completed in the coming time and roads will be repaired. I will direct the staff to temporarily repair the roads wherever required and the problem in the water supply line will also be checked,” he said.
