Rights panel seeks report on crumbling roads in Ludhiana

The Punjab State and Chandigarh (UT) Human Rights Commission has taken serious note of the deteriorating road infrastructure in Ludhiana, following a complaint triggered by a news report published in The Tribune on August 22, 2025.

The report, titled “Continuous rains expose city’s poor road infra, civic apathy,” highlighted the alarming condition of city roads during the monsoon season.

Acting upon an email complaint from a Ludhiana resident, the Commission — comprising Chairperson Justice Sant Parkash and Member Justice Gurbir Singh—has directed the Municipal Commissioner of Ludhiana to submit a detailed report on the issue. The report must be filed at least one week before the next hearing, scheduled for December 11, 2025.

The complaint paints a bleak picture of Ludhiana’s road network, riddled with potholes and open pits that pose a grave threat to public safety. A newspaper clipping attached to the complaint recounts an incident in which a senior citizen fell into a six-foot-deep pit dug for sewerage repairs. It also draws attention to the particularly poor condition of roads outside Dayanand Medical College and Hospital and the Civil Surgeon’s office, both high-traffic areas.

“The city’s roads have become death traps during the rains. The administration’s negligence is not just inconvenient, it’s dangerous,” the complainant stated.

The commission’s intervention comes amid growing public frustration over civic apathy and lack of accountability. Residents have long complained that despite repeated budget allocations for road repairs, the quality of work remains substandard, with roads crumbling after every spell of rain.