Waterlogging adds to traffic woes as heavy rains lash Ludhiana
Torrential rains on the second consecutive day in the city worsened the waterlogging woes for city residents, as several arterial roads were inundated with rainwater leading to blockades and traffic jams
Torrential rains on the second consecutive day in the city worsened the waterlogging woes for city residents, as several arterial roads were inundated with rainwater leading to blockades and traffic jams.
The roads which were among the worst affected include Rahon Road, Ferozepur Road, Chandigarh Road, Gill Road, and GT Road among others.
Posh localities where pipes are being laid for area-based development projects were among the worst-hit as the earth sank by several inches creating massive inconvenience for the residents. Hailed as the city’s smart road - Sat Paul Mittal Road was also marred by waterlogging as water accumulated on the roadside.
Low-lying areas, including Kundanpuri, Chander Nagar, Haibowal, and Chand Cinema Road were also affected.
With no proper drainage system in place at the under-construction portion of Ferozepur Road, a major portion of the road was covered with rainwater leading to traffic snarls.
A resident of Basti Jodhewal, Basant Singh said that the road between Basti Jodhewal Chowk and Meharban which sees heavy traffic was rebuilt just a year ago. He said that without the proper drainage system the road gets flooded with even a brief spell of rain.
Broken, choked road gullies call for attention
Even as the municipal corporation claims to have completed the cleaning and repair of 70 percent of the road gullies, choked and broken road gullies in different areas of the city tell otherwise.
Lying without any covers, the road gullies in different areas, including, Kitchlu Nagar, Maya Nagar, Giaspura, Dhandari Kalan, Bahadur Ke road, and Jalandhar bypass are filled with organic and plastic.
Road gullies in several parts of the city also lie damaged even as strict guidelines have been issued to officials to ensure the replacement of broken road gullies.
A resident of civil lines, Pankaj Kumar said, “As several residents park their cars on the roadside, many road gullies in the area have been damaged and developed cracks and several road gullies are lying clogged due to sand and plastic waste.”
Another resident, Satbeer Singh added that despite being among the major cities of the state, the city does not have dedicated storm sewer pipelines, as the road gullies are connected with regular sewage system due to which rainwater merges into the sewage and gets polluted.
He added that the authorities have failed to improve the situation.
Ravinder Garg, superintending engineer (operations and maintenance branch), said that all road gullies are being made functional. He added that those with broken covers will be repaired.