Highway dug up to lay pipes, commuters suffer

Officials to carry out inspection next week to sort out issue

BQ: Shut for 5 months

“Imagine a state highway remaining closed for nearly five months. This can happen only in a country where government officials are seldom questioned for being incompetent. Incredible India!” said Nirmal Singh, a commuter

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, March 4

Punjab State Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PSWSSB) officials have dug up the strategically important Gurdaspur-Mukerian state highway ostensibly to lay sewerage pipes but seem to have lost their way as hundreds of commuters are being inconvenienced every day.

Work has been going on since January and officials claim it will be the last week of May when the last of the pipes will be laid. “Imagine a state highway remaining closed for nearly five months. This can happen only in a country where government officials are seldom questioned for being incompetent. Incredible India!” said Nirmal Singh, a commuter.

Tibri cantonment is located on this very stretch of the road. Notably, scores of Army vehicles had taken this route to reach the Dinanagar police station to quell the July 27, 2015, terror attack.

A 2-km-long detour has been earmarked through Gharala village as an alternative route. However, this stretch of the road, which in any case is barely wide enough to let two cars coming from opposite directions pass without one of them getting its paint peeled off, has also caved in. “The road was bound to be damaged because of heavy traffic. What is meant to be a 5-minute diversion has become a nightmarish one-hour drive,” said a truck driver. “Development comes at a cost,” said a board official, rather nonchalantly.

Harinder Singh, Chief Engineer, PSWSSB, said he was apprised of the matter. Satnam Singh, XEN, said his department was in the process of taking action.

“Keeping in view the severity of the situation, my department and PSWSSB have planned a joint inspection next week,” said Manmohan Singh, PWD XEN.

Incidentally, sugarcane farmers also use this road to reach the Mukerian and Dasuya mills. It has become a common sight to see tractor-trailers turning turtle near Gharala village.