Ludhiana: While the season’s first spell of rainfall brought much-needed relief from the heat in Ludhiana, it also exposed persistent infrastructure problems. Residents in many localities complained of roads caving in and getting damaged besides disrupted traffic after the overnight rainfall on Wednesday.Among the worst-hit areas was Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, where residents reported road cave-ins near the City Centre structure between G and H blocks. They blamed poor planning and negligence by civic agencies for the recurring problem.Residents said road gullies had been installed recently to facilitate rainwater drainage. However, instead of connecting drainage pipes to the sewer network, they were reportedly directed into the City Centre structure. As rainwater accumulated during Wednesday night’s showers, soil erosion began around the structure, resulting in damage to the adjoining road, they said.The problem has been aggravated by the absence of a retaining wall around part of the City Centre structure. Officials of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) have repeatedly attributed the delay to pending litigation. According to residents, road damage and soil erosion are recurring issues every monsoon.Arvind Sharma, a resident of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, said the situation was the result of official negligence. He claimed that the road was recently dug up to lay rainwater drainage pipes without following proper engineering norms. He said that a similar cave-in had been reported about one year ago, but authorities failed to take corrective measures. Sharma added that the retaining wall around the structure remains incomplete, several safety sheets around the site have either been stolen or damaged, streetlights are in poor condition, and theft incidents are frequently reported in the area.Another resident, Yogesh Sharma, said he had opposed the decision to divert rainwater drainage pipes into the City Centre structure. He claimed that complaints had been submitted to the Human Rights Commission, office of the additional deputy commissioner, the Improvement Trust and the Municipal Corporation, but no action was taken.“If repairs are not carried out immediately, the entire road could collapse and a major accident may occur at any time,” he warned.LIT executive engineer Vikram Bhardwaj acknowledged the issue and said repair work had already started. “We have started filling the damaged portion of the road. The contractor carrying out the road work made a mistake by directing the rainwater drainage pipe towards the City Centre structure. He has been asked to rectify the error,” he said.Bhardwaj admitted that the absence of a retaining wall contributes to repeated road cave-ins, but said the department was constrained because of the ongoing legal dispute related to the site.The City Centre area has witnessed similar incidents in the past. On Aug 13, 2011, three major roads near the project site caved in. Another road portion collapsed by nearly 40 feet on Sept 25, 2018. A similar incident was reported again on Sept 1, 2025, following heavy rainfall.Elsewhere in the city, another road cave-in was reported on Pakhowal Road. The stretch had recently undergone work for laying a water supply pipeline under the surface water supply project. Commuters said it was the third such cave-in reported on the road in recent months.Near Saggu Chowk, a major road portion that had collapsed about a week ago remained unrepaired. Initially damaged due to a leaking water supply line, the site now also has a damaged sewer manhole wall. Officials have indicated that repairs will take time.Congress leader Inderjit Singh Indi criticised the delay, saying the damaged stretch was causing inconvenience to commuters. He alleged that repeated attempts to contact officials yielded little response.Traffic movement was also affected on Hambran Road near Bachan Singh Marg. The MC had recently laid pipelines for a storm sewer project in the area. Following the rain, the soil became loose and several heavy vehicles, including a bus, truck and tractor-trolleys, got stuck in the muddy stretch. Cranes had to be called to pull out the stranded vehicles, leading to a major traffic jam on the busy road.The incidents have once again raised questions about the quality of infrastructure works and monsoon preparedness in the city, with residents demanding timely repairs and long-term solutions to recurring problems.
