Ludhiana: After road cave-ins, Dugri residents seek installation of new sewer line

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 24

A day after a road stretch caved in at different spots in Phase 2, Dugri, residents demanded from the Municipal Corporation (MC) to take immediate steps to avoid such incidents in the future.

As an old dart sewer line (made of bricks) is passing beneath the stretch where cave-ins had appeared in the past too, the residents demanded the installation of a new sewer line by replacing the old sewer system.

The cave-ins had appeared at four points on a stretch in Phase 2, Dugri, after rainfall on Thursday. An underground wire was also visible at one of the cave-in sites. Now, the work is on to repair the stretch.

Around a 10-20 feet long portion of land, outside a house, had caved in after rainfall in August 2020 at Dugri Phase 2 as the same old sewer line was passing beneath there too.

Now, the residents are demanding from the civic body to take required steps to install a new sewer pipe line by replacing the old system to avoid any mishap in the future. According to civic body officials, the dart sewer is more than 40-year-old.

Varinder Pathak, who lives near the damaged road portion site, said: “A similar incident of road cave-in had occurred last year too. Chances of more such incidents can’t be ignored in the future as the old sewer line is made of bricks. Now, the corporation should replace the old sewer system by installing new big sewer pipes at the earliest to avoid such incidents.”

The Kaka Marriage Palace road has caved-in a multiple times in the past one decade and an old dart sewer line is passing beneath there too. In 2011, a truck driver had died after a big portion of the road caved in and the vehicle he was driving had fallen into it. In 2013, 90-ft-long and 8-ft-deep crater had formed near Dhami Eye Hospital on the same road. A portion of the road had caved in last year also.

Cave-ins appeared at four points after rain

Cave-ins had appeared at four points on the stretch after rainfall on Thursday. An underground wire was also visible at one of the cave-in sites. Now, the work is on to repair the stretch. Notably, around a 10-20 feet long portion of land, outside a house, had caved in after rainfall in August 2020 at Dugri Phase 2 as the same old sewer line was passing beneath there too.