Ludhiana MC's plan for commercial tag to Krishna Hospital Road leaves locals fuming

The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation’s (MC) proposal to classify Krishna Hospital Road — from the post office stretch to Dugri Road — as commercial has sparked a storm of protest in Model Town.

The matter will be taken in the MC’s upcoming General House meeting on December 26. Sources confirm that the contentious proposal is on the meeting’s agenda.

Outraged residents, alarmed at the prospect of their residential enclave being transformed into a bustling “commercial hub,” have rallied together in defiance. In a detailed letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary, a dozen residents have demanded urgent intervention to halt what they describe as an “ill-conceived and destructive” move that threatens the very character of Model Town. The Tribune has a copy of the letter.

In the letter – copies of which were dispatched to the Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Local Government, and the Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner — Model Town residents launched a scathing attack on the civic body. They accused the MC of “rewarding perpetrators of illegal commercial activities” through a calculated scheme, arbitrarily and systematically converting residential roads into commercial zones.

“With the MC’s implicit sanction of rampant illegal commercial activity and construction, besides declaration of many residential roads as commercial, Model Town now stands battered. What was once a calm residential enclave has been engulfed by chaos. We are forced to endure relentless traffic snarls, incessant hustle and bustle, and an environment that feels unsafe physically and mentally,” said a majority of locals.

“The unchecked march of commercialisation has taken a toll on the environment. Spiraling noise, air pollution and erosion of livability are common…,” reads the letter.

According to the locals, this transformation is not accidental, but deliberate. They call it a “manufactured decline scripted by civic apathy and institutional neglect”.

Residents said the MC had earlier rewarded illegal commercial activity in Model Town by changing the nature of the land use from residential to commercial, an example of which was declaring the road from Chattar Singh Park to Tikona Park, Mint Gumri Chowk to Gulati Chowk and Gulati Chowk to Dugri Road as commercial.

“Now, similar efforts are being made by MC to reward illegal commercial activity and constructions on Krishan Hospital Road, which is unlawful, illegal, unjustified and violates principles of equity, justice and public trust,” rued the area residents.

MC Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal did not respond to messages.