Ludhiana: Bharat Nagar-Samrala Chowk link road commuters' nightmare

Tribune News Service

Harshraj Singh

Ludhiana, October 7

The link road, which connects two major areas of the city — Bharat Nagar Chowk and Samrala Chowk — is riddled with potholes at several locations and is crying for attention. Damaged expansion joints on various flyovers on a stretch located between the bus stand and Cheema Chowk are also in a state of neglect for the past several years, increasing the woes of commuters.

A road portion outside the ESIC Hospital near the Bharat Nagar Chowk is also badly broken, forcing motorists to face a lot of inconvenience. The menace of traffic jams has intensified in the region because of the Elevated Road project work which is underway. Even when the project work continues, the Link Road outside the hospital, which is in a pretty bad shape, has still not been repaired. There is no relief in sight from the broken road portions near the city’s main bus stand as well.

Residents have been complaining about the potholes and broken expansion joints on the Bus Stand, Gill Chowk, Partap Chowk and Dholewal Chowk flyovers located on the Link Road but the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) seems to be looking the other way.

City resident Darshan Singh Shankar said, “The Elevated Road project work is underway on the Link Road near ESIC Hospital but the broken slipways are not being repaired. Potholes and broken flyover expansion joints located on that stretch of the road give jerks to motorists and cause back problems as well. Patients and pregnant women are the worst sufferers on the potholed stretches. The NHAI must take the matter seriously and ensure immediate repair. Besides, the administration must also take the necessary steps to resolve traffic-related issues at the earliest.”

Gurpal Singh Grewal, who had also staged a protest demanding the replacement of damaged expansion joints on the Bus Stand flyover on the Link Road, said, “The broken expansion joints on the Bus Stand flyover have not been replaced to date. Moreover, the expansion joints on some other flyovers on the link road are also in a poor shape but the authorities concerned are in deep slumber. When the government can collect huge taxes from people, it must also ensure basic facilities.”

NHAI project director, KL Sachdeva said the road portion had become damaged because of leakage in a water pipeline near the ESIC Hospital. The MC has been asked to get the damaged pipeline repaired or replaced. Patchwork on the poholes would be carried out soon, he added.

Sachdeva further stated that the work to replace the damaged expansion joints on the flyovers would be started as soon as the district administration allowed traffic diversion.

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