Jalandhar: Held-up water project troubles commuters on busy stretch from Kapurthala Chowk to HMV College

Jalandhar, November 20

Despite being one of the busiest intersections in the city, the main road from Kapurthala Chowk to HMV College has been in a terrible state for more than 10 months. However, the authorities have done nothing to make the crumbling stretch convenient for commuters.

Patients, students, traders worst-hit

Hundreds of vehicles pass through the road on a daily basis, and the most affected are the patients, students and traders who have their shops and businesses based here. — Harish Grewal, Shopkeeper

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Act against company for delay

L&T company is responsible for the delay in the project. Officials of the Smart City project must take action against it as the project was being handled by them. — Jagdish Raja, Mayor

As per the information available, the road was dug up in December last year to lay pipes for a surface water project under the AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme. During digging, a 50-year-old sewer line was damaged due to which work had to be stopped midway. It was learnt that the private company that was hired for the job failed to find the route of this old sewer line, and temporarily filled the gaps with mud to stop the leakage.

Area councillor Kawaljit Kaur Gullu said, “We have personally taken up the matter with the MC Commissioner and Mayor a number of times in the past but nothing happened. The work was being carried out by L&T, a private company on behalf of the sewerage board but the MC officials were supposed to monitor the work properly. It’s only due to the negligence of MC officials that commuters are left in the lurch, and so far there is no update as to when the work will start again.”

The councillor said that accountability must be fixed and the company hired for the work should be penalised for executing substandard work and causing inordinate delay. Harish Grewal, a shopkeeper in the vicinity, said several accidents have taken place here. “Shockers of the vehicles get damaged and two-wheelers can’t even pass through this stretch. The dust, mud and sand in front of the road have made the life of commuters miserable. At times, it gets extremely difficult for vehicles and even ambulances to reach and enter the hospital on the road,” he added.

He said the stretch is one of the busiest in the city as it has several medical and educational institutions located on it. “Hundreds of vehicles pass through the road on a daily basis, and the most affected are the patients, students and traders who have their shops and businesses based here,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mayor Jagdish Raja said, “The poor condition of the road is causing harassment to the people. L&T company is responsible for the delay and officials of the Smart City project must take action against it as the project was being handled by them,” he said.