Slow pace of ROB,RUB project troubles residents, shopkeepers

Tribune News Service

Harshraj Singh

Ludhiana, May 23

Though officials had anticipated the completion of the railway overbridge (ROB) and railway underbridge (RUB) on Pakhowal Road by August 15 this year, the situation on the ground tells a different story.

Missed multiple deadlines

The project has already missed multiple deadlines, causing inconvenience to residents of neighbouring areas. The project work order was issued to the contractor in June 2019 and the scheduled completion date was set for September 2021. However, the project has encountered delays.

The construction work of the ROB near a private bank on Pakhowal Road was stalled last year and it had not been resumed to date. The works on the another side of the ROB (near the canal side) and the RUB also appear to be progressing at a slow pace, residents said.

The project has already missed multiple deadlines, causing inconvenience to residents of neighbouring areas. The project work order was issued to the contractor in June 2019 and the scheduled completion date was set for September 2021. However, the project has encountered delays.

Expressing disappointment over the slow pace of the project work, a retired senior bank manager and resident of Sarabha Nagar, GS Chawla, said the project remains incomplete within the expected time frame, causing significant inconvenience to the public.

He said the residents urged the authorities of the LSCL and MC to acknowledge their problems and prioritise the early completion of the project.

The prolonged delay in completing the project has had a significant impact on the local business community. Several shopkeepers have been compelled to shut down their businesses due to the ongoing disruptions caused by the construction work.

Some NGOs and traders had also staged a protest against the MC earlier this year. The protesting people had said the railways previously undertook the construction work for the project within its jurisdiction while the work under the MC’s jurisdiction remains incomplete.

In the Smart City Advisory Forum (SCAF) meeting held last month, the pending work on the project was discussed. Officials claimed that the project had reached 85 per cent completion in terms of physical progress. Earlier in March, MLA Gurpreet Gogi, MC Commissioner Shena Aggarwal and the contractor, along with officials, inspected the project site.

The project contractor was directed to expedite the construction work and finish the project by August 15. Executive engineer of the MC and LSCL, Balwinder Singh, said efforts were being made to ensure that the project was completed by August 15. Furthermore, the construction work on the ROB near HDFC Bank would resume soon as the work on the site was to be carried out by specialised workers who were expected to arrive here in the next few days.

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