Elevated road project makes commuters' lives miserable on Ferozepur Road in Ludhiana

Tribune News Service

Harshraj Singh

Ludhiana, August 25

Plumes of dust and frequent traffic snarl ups on Ferozepur Road due to the ongoing Elevated Road project have become a major issue for commuters.

The construction work of the project, which was supposed to be completed by 2020, continues till date.

A group of traders near PAU Gate No. 2 said they had earlier raised the issues such as traffic jams, heaps of soil and dumping of construction waste along the service lanes with the contractor but to no avail. They demanded from the National Highway Authority of India to get the issues resolved without any further delay.

Anoop Kumar, a businessman whose office is located near PAU Gate No. 2 on Ferozepur Road, said the project work was moving at a slow pace. “A passage has been opened for traffic movement just near the gate but damaged portion was not repaired. Heaps of soil have come up adjoining the service lanes. As a result, the flying plumes of dust due to the passing of vehicles on the stretch are common here. We are forced to suffer due to dust that increases air pollution.”

“Also, there is no relief from traffic jams at all. Earlier, some road mishaps had also taken place. Our complaints made to the contractor and department concerned during the past one year fell on deaf ears”, he said.

A shopkeeper, Vishal said, “The flying dust particles due to ongoing project has increased our woes. The dust keeps falling in the shops and other buildings. Besides, stormwater drainage channels were constructed along the highway but these are not functioning. The stagnant water in a stormwater drain outside our shop has become the breeding source for mosquitoes due to which threat of the spread of vector-borne diseases can’t be ignored.”

Another trader said their business had been badly hit due to the delay in the completion of the project. “The required measures should be taken to resolve the problems being faced by the public. The government should get the project completed at the earliest,” he said.

Earlier, a resident of BRS Nagar Baljeet Singh had also complained to the Union Minister and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) around seven months ago against the delay in completion of the project.

Arora instructs NHAI officials to clear rubble

Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora on Thursday directed National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials to clear all debris from service lanes along the Elevated Road project on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur highway within a week. The NHAI Project Director, Krishan Sachdeva, assured the MP that the work will be completed within a week.

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