Ward watch: Drain water, traffic snarls irk Verka residents

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, October 5

Ward No. 23 consists of several underdeveloped localities in Verka and Vallah. Unplanned development of colonies on the outer bypass ring road has created several civic issues. The residents of these localities don’t have basic amenities. The Mohan Nagar area in the ward has no of streets and sewer lines. A nullah flows in the area from Verka to the milk plant side. The people residing around the nullah face inconvenience. They cross the nullah with the help of concrete slabs putting their lives at risk. The residents dump garbage in the nullah and some industrial units in the area also discharge their waste water into it. During rains, the toxic nullah water overflows and enters houses. Most streets in the area need recarpeting, people are deprived of proper sewerage and water supply.

Ward watch: Ward no. 23

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“The areas were developed several years ago, but there has been no development in these localities. Areas such as Mohan Nagar, Preet Nagar and Ram Nagar are being ignored by the authorities. The ‘Ganda Nullah’ is a major issue here. Along with wild growth of weeds, dumping of toxic water and garbage in the nullah adds to the woes of residents. Also, the MC should recarpet the streets,” said Raju, a local resident.

Similarly, the residents of Vallah are facing sanitation issues. The roads and streets are in a pathetic condition. “The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is constructing a flyover on the bypass road at Vallah. They didn’t provide a proper alternative road. The commuters face heavy traffic jams throughout the day. A number of commuters divert their vehicles towards Vallah village. Heavy traffic has damaged the side-lanes. Some of the streets in Vallah village also need recarpeting,” said Davinder Singh, a resident of the area.