Ludhiana: Residents, shopkeepers protest over condition of Dugri-Dhandaran road

Shopkeepers claimed that the promises made by the politicians before elections have fallen flat and no action is being taken to help them

Members of the Dugri Dhandaran Road Residents and Shopkeepers Association, along with representatives from four gram panchayats, staged a protest over the poor condition of the road on Monday. The protesters highlighted the various issues faced by residents and shopkeepers, and questioned the elected representatives over failure to resolve the issue despite repeated requests.

Residents and shopkeepers, along with the members of four gram panchayats, during the protest. (HT Photo)

Residents held up banners with a demand for re-carpeting of the road and installation of street lights in the area. Shopkeepers claimed that the promises made by the politicians before elections have fallen flat and no action is being taken to help them.

Sanjeev Gupta, general secretary of the association, pointed out that parts of the road fall under Atam Nagar and Gill constituencies and members of legislative assembly from both the constituencies have been requested to address the issue. He added the officials of the public works department (PWD) have been approached as well, but no action has been.

Gupta further highlighted that although patchwork was done on the road in 2020, no significant improvements have been made since. He cited a recent incident where a woman lost the balance of her two-wheeler due to the poor condition of the road and sustained multiple injuries after falling.

Pardeep Kumar, executive engineer, PWD said, “MLA from the concerned area had called the department for re-carpeting of the road and we told them that the road does not fall under the public works department.” He added that the department asked the representatives for funds from the state government to be able to construct the road and alleviate the problems faced by the commuters and people of the area.