L&T to face penalty for poor condition of roads in city

Amritsar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh held an emergency meeting regarding the poor condition of roads in the city following recent rains. The focus of the meeting was infrastructure major L&T (Larsen and Toubro company), responsible for laying pipes under the Amritsar Canal Water Supply project, which has allegedly failed to properly repair roads after completing their work.

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MC Commissioner Aulakh took a serious note of media reports highlighting how roads, patched unprofessionally after pipeline works, have deteriorated during the monsoon, creating potholes and posing a threat to commuters. He directed that all roads dug for laying pipelines must be properly restored to their original level to prevent accidents and waterlogging.

Strict instructions were issued to officials of Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company (PMIDC) to halt all pending payments to Larsen and Toubro. A legal notice will be served on the company along with a financial penalty for negligence.

Senior engineers and project managers from both L&T and PMIDC attended the meeting. MC Commissioner Aulakh clarified that under the World Bank-assisted project, L&T was entrusted with laying pipelines to supply treated canal water to Amritsar residents. However, as per regulations, the company is responsible not just for pipeline installation but also for restoring any road sections affected by their work.

Aulakh said while some roads were poorly repaired, others remain untouched, causing severe inconvenience to commuters. He warned that any delays in road restoration will not be tolerated as public welfare projects must not result in public hardship.