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Protest against MC: Residents polish shoes to fund road repairs in Ludhiana
The protest was led by Varinder Sehgal, a former councillor from the BJP, who said the road was last repaired in 2016
Upset over the poor condition of the main road in Kailash Nagar, residents and a former councillor staged a unique protest on Sunday. They sat by the roadside and polished shoes to collect money for road repairs, accusing the civic body of ignoring their repeated complaints.
The protest was led by Varinder Sehgal, a former councillor from the BJP, who said the road was last repaired in 2016. “Since then, no one has taken care of it. After the recent rains, the situation has worsened. There are potholes all over the road, and commuters are getting injured,” he said.
“This is a major road that connects two wards. Ironically, both councillors belong to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and even the mayor, Inderjit Kaur, represents this area. Still, no action has been taken,” Sehgal added. He said the money collected through shoe polishing will be used for the road’s repair.
Residents alleged that earlier, the road only had a few potholes, but since the municipal corporation (MC) failed to repair them on time, the entire road has now turned into a series of deep craters. They said even e-rickshaws lose balance while passing through this stretch, often leading to injuries.
“The road is no longer safe. Even walking on it is difficult. Authorities must at least fill the potholes immediately,” said a local shopkeeper.
Municipal corporation’s superintending engineer Parveen Singla said that potholes were filled using wet premix, but due to frequent rain, the material didn’t hold. “We’ve already floated tenders for full reconstruction. Work will start once the weather improves, as bitumen cannot be laid during rains,” he said.
