Tiles in 'good condition' being replaced in SBS Nagar by Ludhiana Improvement Trust

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, May 1

Interlocking tiles in a ‘good condition’ are being replaced along the main road near the City Centre Project (now abandoned) site in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) here. Residents of the colony are at a loss to comprehend the necessity for such wasteful expenditure when many of the Trust colonies still lacked reasonably good urban infrastructure.

After the LIT officials failed to provide a satisfactory reply as to the need for replacement of tiles, which are in a good condition, and that too with new tiles that are less in thickness, residents of the area have lodged a complaint with the Principal Secretary, Local Government, Punjab, about the ongoing project worth approximately Rs 70 lakh.

Council of RTI Activists secretary Arvind Sharma, who is also a resident in the F-Block of the colony, has said in the complaint that in many colonies of the Trust, streets and roads are lying in a poor condition, many of the parks are in need of proper care and some localities are facing problems of water supply and choked sewers. “However, unmindful of the plight of the residents of these colonies, the LIT officials are out to spend huge funds on wasteful expenditure,” said the complaint.

Sharma asserted that LIT officials are earlier saying that the work had been awarded only for replacement of broken/damaged tiles or those that had come off. But on the site, the construction agency is replacing all the tiles. Not only this, the LIT officials had also failed to put up a mandatory display board on the site giving details of the work, estimated cost, details of construction agency and supervisory officials of the Trust.

The complainant said there is general feeling among the area residents that the work for replacement of tiles (which are in good condition) had been awarded to a well-connected contractor to grant favour to him and also to ensure a decent ‘cut’ for the officials concerned.

Sharma called upon the government to intervene and probe the ongoing ‘unnecessary and wasteful’ work in the colony and fix accountability of LIT officials who are behind such wastage of public funds.