Road work continues amid rain in Ludhiana, locals question quality of Rs 6.5-crore project
Residents question absence of officials at site and alleged that crores of rupees collected through taxpayers’ money were being spent without proper supervision
Questions have been raised over the quality of a Rs 6.5-crore road recarpeting project in the 475-acre Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar Scheme after a contractor was allegedly found laying bitumen on a road during heavy rainfall on Sunday. Residents expressed concern that public money was being wasted, as the work continued despite the adverse weather conditions.
The road work is being carried out in G Block of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) colony. According to officials, nearly 40 per cent of the recarpeting work has already been completed. However, local residents claimed that the contractor continued laying the road even as it rained heavily, raising doubts over the durability and quality of the project.
Residents questioned the absence of officials at the site and alleged that crores of rupees collected through taxpayers’ money were being spent without proper supervision.
“Everyone knows that road construction should not be carried out during heavy rainfall. If the road gets damaged within a short time, who will be responsible for the loss of public money?” said a resident.
Social activist Arvind Sharma also raised the issue and claimed that the Punjab Agricultural University had already forecast heavy rainfall. Despite the weather warning, the contractor continued the work, he alleged.
Sharma said he brought the matter to the notice of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust officials after recording a video of the work being carried out in the rain. He alleged that no senior officer was present at the site to monitor the work or stop the contractor.
He demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter and said that if the contractor had violated engineering norms, strict action should be taken. He also demanded that if the road is found to be of poor quality, it should be removed and reconstructed as per approved standards. He further sought action against officials responsible for allowing the work to continue.
Responding to the issue, Ludhiana Improvement Trust Chairman Tarsem Bhinder said the work was stopped immediately after the matter came to the notice of the authorities.
“When we came to know about this, we immediately stopped the work,” Bhinder told The Tribune.
Experts in road construction say that laying bituminous roads during heavy rainfall can affect proper bonding between the layers and may reduce the life of the road if prescribed engineering standards are not followed.
