Caving in of tiles a common phenomenon in city

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 20

Weak foundation beneath the interlocking tiles installed at various places in the city has become a hazard for commuters. These tiles have caved-in at many place thus creating potholes.

A typical example is of footpaths inside Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs Memorial Civil Hospital, which have been uprooted, as the hospital management has initiated work to strengthen foundation of interlocking tiles.

The same scenario can also be witnessed at various places in Government Medical College where interlocking tiles have been extensively used on passages. Earlier, there were many reports of caving in of tiles due to weak foundation in different parts of the city.

A resident Kewal Singh said, “Interlocking tiles should be fixed on concrete foundation in order prolong their usage and life. However, contractors are fixing tiles directly on dilapidated stretches.”

He said weak foundations cave in during rainy seasons as streets were waterlogged and soil beneath tiles turned into slush.

Moreover, people park their vehicles on footpaths covered with tiles thus making these useless for pedestrians. “Footpaths could be easily used by the public had their level been higher by half feet or more than the road. People use footpaths to park their vehicles and pedestrians still walk on roads,” said another resident Harjap Singh.