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Portion of road caves in at Model Town’s Gol Market in Ludhiana
Shopkeepers in the area blame the civic body’s nonchalance for the incident, saying that no corrective measures were taken to repair the damaged manhole despite alerting the authorities and submitting a complaint; the damaged portion has been covered with sand to avoid mishaps
A portion of the road caved in at Gol Market in Model Town after one of the walls of a manhole collapsed on Thursday. No casualty or damage to property was reported.
Shopkeepers in the area blame the civic body’s nonchalance for the incident, saying that no corrective measures were taken to repair the damaged manhole despite alerting the authorities and submitting a complaint.
Arvind Sharma, one of the traders in the area, says the municipal corporation officials were not startled into action after the cave in and have merely poured sand on the damaged portion. “It seems the officials are waiting for some major accident. If the manhole is not repaired in time, the road may be further damaged,” he said.
Municipal corporation superintending engineer Ravinder Garg said the damaged portion was covered with sand so that accidents can be avoided. “The field staff has already been directed to take corrective steps. Residents say that the road caved in because of a damaged manhole but the exact reason will be known once the MC staff digs up the road.”
A road collapse just ahead of the torrential monsoons does not bode well for the civic body officials as cave-in incidents are reported across the district every year during the period. Authorities say laying of underground wires, which has damaged sewer lines and caused leaking water to wash away the sand, is primarily responsible for the incidents. Last year too, road cave-in incidents were reported in Dugri, and Kaka Marriage Palace Road among other areas.
The Gol Market road cave-in comes a day after former councillor Parminder Mehta had slammed the civic body for incomplete sewer installation work near the Clock Tower. He had alleged that sand poured over the dug up areas had caved in due to rain accumulation on June 4, causing at least half-a-dozen vehicles to get stuck in the pits at the construction site.