159 unsafe buildings, tragedies waiting to happen in Ludhiana

The Town Planning Department in Ludhiana had in the recent past wrapped up its inspection of unsafe structures across the city, flagging a total of 159 buildings that are now considered dangerous. Despite the development, the Municipal Corporation has limited its role by pasting notices and it is not taking interest in demolishing the unsafe structures. Recently after a big portion of the ancestral house of businessman Anand Mahindra collapsed in the city, the remaining portion was still hanging. It is yet to be demolished to prevent any tragedy in the future.

Spread across all four municipal zones, these buildings pose serious safety risks to residents and passers-by.

As per information, Zone D tops the list with 55 unsafe buildings, followed by Zone A, the area encompassing much of the old city, where 48 such structures have been found. Zone C accounts for 35, and Zone B with 21 structures. These numbers mark a shift from the previous survey carried out in 2021, when Zone A had the highest count at 64 unsafe buildings, while Zones B, C, and D had 21, 38, and 33, respectively.

Most of the buildings flagged in the new report are residential properties, many of which are still occupied.

Shockingly, despite clear risks, tenants continue to stay in the dilapidated structures — some even unknowingly. An official from the Municipal Corporation (MC) revealed that in many cases, tenants are still residing in these unsafe houses. In many cases, legal disputes are going on between tenants and property owners. In such a situation, the civic body’s hands are tied, with the only immediate recourse being to serve notices to the owners.

The civic body has issued these notices under Section 273 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, warning property owners to either carry out necessary repairs or demolish the buildings altogether.

Officials said failing to do so would make the owners directly liable for any future accidents or structural failures, especially with the rains heightening the risks of collapse.

A senior MC official said town planning staff had been instructed to conduct a citywide safety audit recently. Following the survey, notices were formally dispatched to all property owners concerned, urging swift action.

In many parts of the city, particularly around Chaura Bazaar and its adjoining markets, the situation is dire. Ageing buildings in areas such as Chauri Sadak, Field Ganj, Daresi, Jawahar Nagar Camp, Gill Road, Lakkar Bazaar, Moti Nagar, Amarpura, and Tajpur Road are now on the radar for urgent attention. These old and weakened structures have been described by officials as “ticking time bombs”, waiting to cause a disaster.

Another structure collapses in Thapar Mohalla

On Sunday evening, a portion of another building had collapsed in Thapar Mohalla. Fortunately, no loss of lives or injury to any person was reported. The old building was lying abandoned for the past many years. The total count of buildings collapsed in the past few days in the city has reached eight.