Mall Road offers bumpy ride, courtesy MC apathy

Minna Zutshi

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 17

The Mall Road is one of the busiest roads of Ludhiana city. Costliest cars run on this road and so does a two-wheeler and a three-wheeler. Shoppers who park their vehicles at a distance walk down to the swanky shops and stores located on either side of the road. It is a connecting road from Bharat Nagar Chowk to Fountain Chowk. But the Mall Road offers a bumpy ride that is fraught with danger. Big potholes on the road may cause a two-wheeler to overturn, as Seema, a college student, discovered to her dismay. “I was driving a scooter, while my mother was pillion riding. My scooter lost the balance when it hit a pothole. It could have been a dangerous accident had my scooter swerved out of control.”

At night, when the visibility is poor, it is riskier still for a two-wheeler. “You are lucky if you escape unhurt while driving a two-wheeler at night on the Mall Road. On a potholed road, your two-wheeler may overturn and you may fall off,” said Ramanjeet, another college student.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Garima Singh, a commuter. “The potholes make the drive very uncomfortable. My mother who suffers from backache had a tough time the other day. Now we avoid taking this road. Though the other route is longer, we prefer using it. At least it does not have crater-like potholes.”

Sonu Nilibar, coordinator of the Cloth Merchant Association of Ludhiana, said it is a matter of shame that on the Mall Road ‘shocking potholes’ welcome the commuters and shoppers. Are the authorities listening? They need to wake up before it is too late and a fatal road mishap occurs.