Harshraj Singh
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, August 1
As various roads were not levelled properly after laying sewer or stormwater drainage pipes, people were forced to face troubles when rainfall lashed the city recently. Experts said the civic body must get soil compaction done as per the norms after laying the pipes.
Notably, some vehicles had got stuck recently as portions of the Old GT Road stretch near Clock Tower and Telephone Exchange at the E-block of BRS Nagar caved in after rain. The MC had installed stormwater drainage pipes near Clock Tower while sewer pipes were laid at BRS Nagar.
The experts said such incidents could have been averted if soil compaction was done in a proper manner by the contractors concerned.
‘Work done in proper way can prevent mishaps’
Some vehicles had got stuck recently as portions of the Old GT Road stretch near Clock Tower and Telephone Exchange at the E-block of BRS Nagar caved in after rain. The MC had installed stormwater drainage pipes near Clock Tower while sewer pipes were laid at BRS Nagar. Experts said such incidents could have been averted if soil compaction was done in a proper manner by the contractors concerned.
Kapil Arora of the Council of Engineers and a resident of BRS Nagar said: “It is a well-known fact that the work order of laying of sewer disposal /water supply line includes excavation as well as backfilling of soil to be compacted in layers of 6-8 inches. However, contractors, after laying the pipes and constructing the manholes, generally backfill the soil using JCB in one go due to which major voids remain between particles of soil, resulting in sudden settlement as a vehicle passes over it. Such areas become more dangerous during rainy days as the soil settles down with penetration of water resulting into cave-in of soil surface.”
“In Ludhiana, the contractors generally leave the compaction job to moving traffic and the technical officials concerned never bother about it. However, such gross negligence may cause fatal injuries to commuters or damage to their vehicles, especially during rainy days, due to excess filtration of water in soil due to the presence of voids. Improper soil compaction also results in breakage of top asphalt surface of roads due to the uneven settlement, resulting into potholes which are again dangerous for commuters,” he said.
A former superintending engineer of the Punjab Water Supply and Sanitation Department said: “If the soil compaction was done properly after installing sewer/drainage pipes as per the norms, there would be no problem at all. The contractors concerned are supposed to ensure soil compaction in a right manner. The civic body must get the work done in a proper way.”
A former councillor, Inder Aggarwal, said: “Such projects are generally carried out in an unplanned manner due to which people are forced to suffer. These must not be conducted during the rainy season.”
MC Superintending Engineer Rajinder Singh said the road near Clock Tower had been levelled properly. “We are ensuring soil compaction too after laying down the pipes. But, a settlement generally occurs during rains,” he said.
MC Superintending Engineer Ravinder Garg said the stretch at BRS Nagar was levelled.
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