Unhappy with admn, villagers carry out patchwork on roads

Ajay Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 22

Unhappy with the district administration’s negligence towards their demand to recarpet dilapidated roads in their villages, residents of Bhogpur and Lohara villages took up the task in their hands and started carrying out patchwork on all these stretches.

A team of 15 residents, including youngsters, carry out the patchwork on Sundays. Last Sunday, they filled potholes on the 3-km Lohara-Bhogpur stretch.

Dalbir Singh (40), a computer hardware professional, said, “Roads in our villages were constructed around 8 to 10 years ago. But, these are in a dilapidated condition due to lack of repair and maintenance. Potholes have appeared on the roads, causing problems to commuters. Complaints in this regard were lodged with the authorities on a number of occasions, but to no avail.”

A villager said, “Commutes, especially bikers, face a tough time to commute on the roads. These have become bumpy and uneven, which led to many accidents. At night, it becomes risky to travel on these roads in the absence of street lights.”

Dalbir said the villagers learned patchwork on their own and Jatinder Singh, a member of their group, who was an architect, helped them in providing machines and equipment.