Locals protest delay in work on rly underbridge in Jalandhar

Jalandhar, September 3

Residents of Urban Estate Phase I and II, Punjabi Avenue and nearby localities today held a protest against the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation. They were protesting against the delay in construction of a railway underbridge in the area. They claimed that the work had been suspended for the past few months.

The protesters said excavation work on the site started in February, and during the work, sewage pipes were damaged due to which the site had turned into a pond of dirty water, making their lives miserable.

The protest was led by Banwari Lal Shastri, a temple priest. He said residents, especially women, were facing difficulties in visiting temple as the entire area was lying in a pathetic condition.

“Owing to continuous leakage of sewer pipes, the entire site had turned into a deep pit. On many occasions, stray animals, including cattle and dogs, have fallen into the pit. Besides, during night, even commuters face a lot of inconvenience and several mishaps take place due to it,” said Shastri, adding that the work on the site was getting delayed as he MC was not repairing the damaged sewage pipes.

The protesters said if the MC failed to resolve the issue within next few days, they would be forced to hold a “pucca dharna” at the site.