Link roads teeming with potholes make ride bumpy for Nakodar residents

The bad condition of the link roads in Nakodar, heading for the Jammu–Katra National Highway, has harried local residents who claim a journey through these stretches is perilous and pothole-ridden. The matter, regarding which a petition was recently filed, is now up for hearing in October 29. Residents said the construction of the highway rendered the condition of the link roads even worse. A Jalandhar-based lawyer also took up the issue in a Permanent Lok Adalat.

Highlighting the severe damage caused to local link roads during the construction of the Jammu–Katra National Highway, Navraj Singh, a resident of Nakodar, through his counsel Advocate JP Singh, a Jalandhar-based lawyer, had approached the Permanent Lok Adalat (Public Utility Services), Jalandhar, seeking urgent directions for the restoration or compensation for the damaged roads.

The petition, Application No. 901 of 2025, filed on August 1, 2025, named the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), its Project Director (PIU Jalandhar), and the Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board (Punjab Mandi Board) among the respondents. The applicant drew attention to the extremely dilapidated condition of essential link roads in the Nakodar constituency, which he said had been rendered unsafe due to the movement of heavy machinery during highway construction.

These roads, the applicant said, were vital for commuters, farmers, schoolchildren, and emergency services. Samar Singh, a daily commuter on the link road said, “Huge potholes mar the stretch due to which our vehicles develop repeated snags. In the monsoons, roads are not even fit for commuting. People using roads are in a fix as the condition of roads has rendered the daily commute nightmarish.”

While the matter had previously been fixed for hearing on August 13, 2025, before the Chairman, Permanent Lok Adalat, Jalandhar, it has been rescheduled for hearing in October end.

Giving information about the issue Advocate JP Singh emphasised “This is not just about repairing roads — it’s about ensuring safe mobility, public convenience and protecting the fundamental rights of local residents under Article 21 of the Constitution.”