Tough road ahead for new Patiala MC Commissioner

Tribune News Service

Mohit Khanna

Patiala, March 6

As Aditya Dachalwal is all set to take charge as MC Commissioner Patiala on Thursday, the IAS officer has a tough task at hand. After the transfer of Aditya Uppal on December 5, the civic body remained headless for three months, with the Deputy Commissioner (DC) holding the additional charge. The top post of the MC remaining vacant had brought a lot of development and other projects in the city to a standstill.

Facing the perennial problem of open dumping of garbage and structural waste, the biggest challenge for the new MC Commissioner is the dilapidated condition of roads across the city. Residents of the royal city are facing a double whammy these days as they have been experiencing bumpy rides and are also exposed to pollution caused by dust, courtesy of roads, that were dug up nearly a year ago for laying a canal-based drinking water supply line.

The stretch of road where the residences of Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police are located has been dug up on one side and it witnesses traffic jams regularly. Dust in the air adds to the air pollution which causes problems for residents of the city especially the elderly, women and children. Instead of recarpeting the roads the civic body added more dust to cover it up and sprinkled water to settle the sand a few days ago.

Residents of Bank Colony, Dhariwal Colony, and Ajit Nagar said that due to the sand on the road, their vehicles and porches get covered in dust as well.

Samir Verma, a resident of the city said, “We expect the new Commissioner to address the plight of residents and order the carpeting of roads of the city. Many residents, who have been suffering from health issues such as bronchitis, asthma and dust allergies, among others, face a tough time due the dust in the air caused by the dug up roads. Apart from this, the dug-up road is also a death trap for commuter.”

Similarly, residents of the old city including, Jattan Wala Chowk, Nabha Gate, Punjabi Bagh colony, have been facing frequent sewerage blockage as unauthorised dairy units in the city have been reluctant to shift at the new locations allocated by the government.

Mushrooming of illegal structures across the city is also a challenge that the Commissioner has to deal with. Besides illegal encroachments and parking near Leela Bhawan, Choti Baradri is another issue which demands immediate attention.

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