Road cave-in near Ludhiana school sparks safety concerns

A fresh road cave-in was reported near Arya Senior Secondary School on old Subzi Mandi road today, raising alarm among commuters and shopkeepers on the busy stretch. Bricks, potted plants and plastic sheets were hastily placed around the crater to prevent accidents, but residents fear such temporary measures are inadequate for a long-term hazard.

Davider, a shopkeeper near the school, said the proximity of the collapse to the educational institution made the situation particularly worrying. “Immediate steps must be taken so that no untoward incident happens,” he urged.

Residents pointed out that repeated collapses across the city point to deeper structural problems beneath Ludhiana’s thoroughfares. With heavy traffic and dense commercial activity, such cave-ins pose risks not only to vehicles, but also to pedestrians and nearby businesses.

A teacher from Arya school added that they had tried to get a complaint registered with the authorities concerned as this cave-in needed to be repaired immediately. “School students of all age groups come from this road every day and it should be repaired immediately to avoid any untoward incident,” she said.

Another road cave-in at Mintgumri Chowk in Model Town today is third in less than a year. A police barricade was put over the cave-in as a precaution. Residents insist that patch work is no longer enough as cave-ins have happened earlier also. “These are not isolated accidents, but symptoms of a larger infrastructure crisis that requires urgent intervention,” said a resident of Harnam Nagar.

Local activist Arvind Sharma warned that poor drainage and reckless digging were creating dangerous conditions. The cave-in is due to sewerage pipe leakage, he said, adding that civic apathy was compounding the crisis.