Peepal trees, grass on elevated road point to lack of upkeep

Amritsar, August 1

The Municipal Corporation has not only failed in keeping the Metro buses on track but also in maintaining the nearly 2 km stretch of the elevated road on Batala road. While the Metro buses have been off road for nearly a month now, wild grass along with hundreds of peepal trees some of which have attained a height of over two feet can be seen growing alongside the railing of the bridge, pointing to lack of upkeep.

The elevated road is a part of the dedicated Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) corridor and connects the city with Verka. Cleanliness on the bridge has always been an issue as it is seldom cleaned. The heaps of dust on the bridge have come

in handy for the wild growth to flourish as frequent rains have provided a conducive environment for their growth.

The residents stated that wild growth on the bridge is a clear testimony to the indifferent attitude of the MC towards the upkeep of infrastructure. “The heaps of dust and wild growth are also causing water-logging on the bridge during the rains. After the rains, vehicles moving on the bridge splash the accumulated water on the commuters using the underpass,” said a resident Kuljit Singh.

Local residents complained that if the wild growth, especially the peepal trees growing on the bridge, is not cleared soon, they would broaden the cracks and compromise the strength of the structure. “The MC earlier used to deploy road mopping machines to clean the dust. It would be better if these are used by way of routine as the dust gets dispersed by vehicles causing air pollution,” said another resident Pawan Kumar.