Tough going for city to keep up with Smart tag

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 23

While the Centre has announced 30 new cities which have been selected for the Smart City Project, there is apparently no improvement in the condition of infrastructure in Ludhiana.

After a few rain showers in the city, the condition of roads has turned miserable which testifies the fact that the city lags behind when it comes to providing reliable infrastructure. Be it posh localities or the old city areas, roads are in a dilapidated condition. After a few rain showers in the city, roads get dotted with potholes.

This correspondent took to various parts of the city to check the condition of the roads. The condition of roads in the Haibowal area had worsened. At Haibowal Kalan near police station, the roads are broken and the area is in a sorry state of affairs.

“Roads are the basic infrastructure, but Ludhiana people are derived of this. Roads were repaired some time ago, but their condition is bad again. Residents are having bumpy rides, but the authorities are apathetic,” said Shankar Parsad, a nearby shopkeeper.

Going little further towards the Churpur road at Haibowal, the situation remains the same. “The situation worsens during the rainy season as one is unable to locate the potholes on the roads. A few days ago, I had a narrow escape as my motorcycle fell into a pothole on the road,” said Harsh Mehta, a resident from Churpur Road.

The condition of roads at Kartar Enclave and Joshi Nagar at Haibowal is no different. “Though it is a well-developed area, but the state of roads is miserable,” said a resident of Joshi Nagar.

Roads at Bhadaur House present no different scenario. Be it near Domoria Bridge or Deepak cinema road, the story is same.

Surjeet Singh, a regular visitor to the AC market, said although the authorities are beautifying the city by making graffitis, nobody is paying attention to the basic necessities.

“Roads near my house in Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar are also in the same state,” he said.