Ward watch: Sukhdev Nagar, Dhillon Nagar, nearby areas remain ignored

Tribune News Service

Harshraj Singh

Ludhiana, September 5

Numerous concerns are plaguing residents of Sukhdev Nagar on Star Road in Ward number 33 (old) in the Ludhiana South Constituency. These issues include damaged streets, tainted water supply, absence of parks, non-functioning or missing streetlights and clogged sewers.

Mohan Lal, a Sukhdev Nagar resident, said: “We routinely get contaminated water supply. The recurring problem of clogged sewers is affecting us all. The road leading to our homes is in a state of disrepair. Furthermore, internal streets in our neighbourhood lack adequate street lights. We seek the development of our area and prompt resolution of the problems we are facing.”

Another Sukhdev Nagar resident said: “Streets in our area lack streetlights. and many of them are non-functional, making it unsafe to walk at night. It increases the risk of theft and snatching incidents.”

In nearby Captain Nagar area, residents seek resolution to issues such as potholed streets and contaminated water supply. Additionally, street lights at various locations remain non-operational, according to a local businessman.

Residents of a few streets in Dhillon Nagar raised concerns about clogged sewers. Sushma Devi, Raj Rani and Julie said sewers in their street remain blocked. The sewage issue has escalated to the point where it flows back into some houses, resulting in the accumulation of foul-smelling water in their homes, they said.

A group of Dhillon Nagar residents said: “We bear the expenses of cleaning the sewerage line every time. We have lodged multiple complaints with the Municipal Corporation but sewer workers demand money from us to clear the lines. Politicians visit us before elections but no one pays heed to our problems. We urgently require a resolution to the sewer issue.”

On the main road of Lohara village, sewer manhole covers are unevenly placed, posing a threat of accidents. Questions arise regarding the responsibility of MC officials as why the manhole covers were not levelled during the previous road resurfacing work. Residents added that some road gullies were blocked and remain unattended for cleaning.

Certain nearby colonies had been ignored, with residents unaware of the specific ward number. It is not clear whether such undeveloped colonies are authorised or not. Unconstructed roads, contaminated water supply and lack of functional street lights are recurring issues in such colonies.

Former Congress Councillor Sunita Rani could not be reached for comments. A family member, responding to phone calls on her behalf, asserted that development projects, including road construction and resurfacing in various neighbourhoods, were carried out during her tenure, from March 2018 to March 2023.

What residents say

For the past two years, we have been grappling with the issue of contaminated water supply. Sewers frequently get choked and there are no street lights. These problems should be promptly resolved. — Amlok Singh, resident of Sukhdev Nagar

Recently, we have noticed that whoever assumes the role of a councillor in our area, tends to neglect our phone calls. We expect our future councillor to address issues in a timely manner. Several streets in our locality are still not constructed. We need overall development of the area. — Amrik Singh, resident of ward 33

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