Red tape hits development work in SBS Nagar

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, June 3

Even as the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) has been carrying out development works in various parts of the city (other than its own colonies), residents in several colonies developed by the Trust have been persistently crying over poor urban infrastructure and lack of basic civic amenities.

They allege that even the development and maintenance works of urgent nature were delayed for years together due to the indifference and apathy of officials or procedural tangles.

According to Pran Nath Bhatia, President, Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar Senior Citizens’ Welfare Association, the issue of repair and re-carpeting of the main and feeder roads in E block of the colony had been hanging fire for the last over two years, while in the meantime residents were made to suffer due to broken roads and streets dotted with big potholes all along.

Bhatia, who along with other residents including Arvind Sharma, G Pal Chadha, Surjit Singh, Jaspla Singh Takkar, Balraj Chopra and Surinder Singh Grewal, had a series of meetings with LIT Chairman and senior officials of the Local Government Department, Punjab, said the Trust had adopted a resolution (no. 356 on October 12, 2016) for the carpeting of roads and parking in the main market, laying of interlocking tiles in the parking area opposite booths, electrical works and construction of a community centre – all in E block at an estimated cost of more than Rs1.5 crore.

“However, the government kept sitting on the resolution for more than a year – it was neither approved, nor rejected. It was on the repeated pleas made by the suffering residents, that LIT adopted a new resolution (no. 9 on January 9, 2018) for the execution of four projects in block E – carpeting of roads (Rs40.42 lakh), carpeting of the main market parking (Rs41.40 lakh), laying interlocking tiles in front of booths (Rs19.03 lakh) and repair/replacement of electric cables, LED/CFL lamps in block E and G (Rs30.27 lakh), which has since been approved by the government,” said Bhatia.

Residents complain that even after the approval of the resolution by the government, development projects remain on paper and no action for the execution was still in sight with the residents continuing to suffer due to bad roads and streets.

Trust Engineer Buta Ram confirmed that the resolution for the execution of development works in the E block of SBS Nagar had received the nod from the government.

“Tenders to invite bids for these works will be floated in the next couple of days and work will commence soon, as the tendering process is over and work orders have been issued to successful agencies,” he said.