Despite roads in poor condition, pothole patching machines lying unused

Though various roads in Ludhiana are broken and need repair, the Municipal Corporation (MC) is waiting to take out its pothole patching machines. Manually done repair work does not last long and the pothole patching machines are lying unused. These have become ‘white elephants’ due to improper usage by the civic body.

The corporation had spent Rs 3.86 crore on two such machines, which work by using infrared recycling technology to fix potholes but it seems the time-consuming procedure is taking a toll on their functioning. As a result, the machines are not put to use frequently.

The two machines were bought to continue road repairs in the winter season, when the weather is not conducive for road works. These were purchased under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

These machines were under-utilised due to their time-consuming functioning. The manual pothole repair was inefficient due to which these were procured. The machine helps extend the life of repaired portions but the time-consuming procedure became a hurdle, said an MC official.

Roads in Chandar Nagar, old city areas, Ferozepur Road area, Transport Nagar and other parts of the city are crying for care but the civic body has failed to put the machines in use.