Trenches dug up to lay pipes on Mall road in Amritsar irk commuters

Amritsar, August 21

Public inconvenience or safety are the least of the concerns when it comes to development as is evident for the botched up work done on the Mall road where trenches were dug up a few days ago to lay pipes for the under construction urinals inside the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) corridor.

Only two bags of cement and less than 50 cubic feet of gravel and sand is required to make concrete slabs on these trenches. With the local authorities looking the other way, commuters are facing trouble every day. Jagteshwar Singh, a resident

Recently, these trenches were dug up near all metro bus stations on the BRTS corridor leading from Celebration Mall to Kachehri Chowk to lay pipes.

However, no efforts were made to bring the dug up area to the level of the road due to which crossing these stretches has become a back-breaking exercise.

As commuters move from Celebration Mall to Kachehri Chowk, they have to cross at least four such trenches. Initially, workers used loose gravel and dust to cover up trenches, but the potholes on dug up areas are getting deeper with each passing day.

“Only two bags of cement and less than 50 cubic feet of gravel and sand is required to make concrete slabs on these ditches. With the local authorities looking the other way, commuters are facing trouble every day,” said Jagteshwar Singh, a resident.

As a person approaches these dug up patches on the road, he/she has to slow down his/her vehicle as it could hit potholes and prove lethal for them.

“Why are well paved roads dug up to lay pipes or cables? Now, the condition of Mall Road would remain as such till it is re-carpeted. Commuters will experience a back breaking ride on the road,” said another resident.