Opposition leaders slam government, depts

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 14

Following the flood in several areas near Buddha Nullah and Ganda Nullah, leaders of opposition parties are questioning the government and its departments for their alleged failure to ensure timely cleaning of water bodies and strengthening of the banks.

SAD leader and former MLA Ranjit Singh Dhillon said the government and its departments had the responsibility to ensure the cleaning of Buddha Nullah and other drains before the onset of monsoon, but they allegedly failed to get it done in a timely manner.

“Drains were not cleaned before the onset of rainy season. Weak banks of Buddha Dariya, Sutlej and other water bodies were not reinforced on time. As a result, floods occurred in various areas soon after the first monsoon showers as no prior arrangements were made to prevent such incidents,” he alleged.

Gurdeep Singh Neetu, a BJP leader, said sewer connections of several areas were directly linked to various drains, including Buddha Nullah and Ganda Nullah. As a result, some areas were inundated after water level in Buddha Nullah increased. He said cleaning of drains was not carried out promptly this year before the rainy season. Notably, drains within the city are connected with Buddha Nullah.

Another BJP leader Inder Aggarwal emphasised the need for proper coordination between the Municipal Corporation (MC) and the Irrigation Department and timely cleaning of the entire Buddha Nullah and strengthening of its banks. He suggested that measures should be taken to increase the capacity of Buddha Nullah and other drains by removing encroachments.

Municipal Corporation officials said the cleaning of Buddha Nullah and other drains in the city was conducted timely before the arrival of monsoon. An official of the MC’s O&M Branch said the civic body had been diligently working to prevent flooding in the city and had made considerable efforts in this regard. The reason behind the rise of water level in Buddha Nullah was identified as the excessive release of water from the upstream areas.

According to the estimated budget for fiscal year 2023-24, the proposed expenditure budget for the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Cell of the Ludhiana MC is Rs 177 crore. The MC’s O&M Cell is responsible for managing tasks related to water supply, sewerage systems and drains. However, it remains unclear how much funding was to be spent specifically for cleaning the drains and reinforcing the banks within the MC’s jurisdiction this year. An MC official said the civic body had purchased its own machines which were consistently used for cleaning Buddha Nullah and other drains.

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