Top coat of newly carpeted roads at SBS Nagar peels off

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, December 4

It was the end of over a decade-long wait for residents of Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar Colony, developed by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), on Pakhowal Road, when the work for re-carpeting broken roads in most blocks of the colony was undertaken during October-November this year.

However, the joy of residents was short-lived as top surface of some newly carpeted roads in E-block of the colony and some other areas started peeling off in just about a fortnight.

Attributing the damage to roads within such a short span of time to poor workmanship and slack supervision on part of the field staff and senior LIT officials, residents have complained to the Principal Secretary, Local Government, Punjab, Director, Local Bodies, Punjab, and chairman of the LIT demanding probe into quality of material used and poor workmanship in re-carpeting roads.

Residents of the colony, including Pran Bhatia, Arvind Sharma, Amarjit Singh and Balraj Chopra, have alleged that the LIT field staff had given contractor a free hand. The work was not supervised to ensure whether it was being executed as per laid down stipulation in the work order or whether the quality of material used for carpeting was as per specifications, they added.

Not only this, there had been instances when the road carpeting work was carried out at night when temperature dropped and the weather conditions were not conducive for surfacing and laying asphalt, said residents.

The lapse on the part of the contractor was conveyed to officials of the LIT, but they did not intervene to stop road carpeting work late in the night, residents added.

While complaining residents did not say in so many words that the contractor, awarded work for carpeting of roads in the colony, was politically connected and that was the reason he had thrown all caution to the winds and had almost got away with poor quality and shoddy workmanship.

When contacted, the LIT superintending engineer, SS Jakhar, said, “If there is any deficiency in the work of carpeting roads, the contractor will be directed to rectify it. His final payment will be made only after the quality of workmanship and material used in road carpeting is found strictly as per specifications laid down in the work order.”