6 days Ago
Ludhiana: After a long wait of more than one year, civic officials have finally received the design for floodgates to be installed in the old seasonal drain near Gaughat crematorium. They will now prepare estimates for the project. The project of covering the old drain from Shingaar cinema bridge to Gaughat crematorium is also hanging fire due to delay in the design of floodgates.
The drain coverage project was inaugurated twice but work could not start on the ground. In 2023, when there was heavy rainfall and flood-like situation in areas near Buddha Dariya and the seasonal drain, MC officials decided to install floodgates to stop water from entering low-lying areas. To implement the plan, the corporation asked experts of IIT Roorkee for a design.
Their team visited the area to check feasibility of the project. Experts from IIT Roorkee started work on a design for floodgates but it took a long time. Now, officials hope to get the floodgates installed by the next monsoon.
Though water from the old drain overflowed into Dhoka Mohalla, Dharampura, Kashmir Nagar etc repeatedly, delay in designing held up coverage of the 1,700 metre stretch of the drain at a cost of Rs 8.49 crore. The project was first inaugurated in Dec 2021 by former MLA Surinder Dawar.
In 2023, it was again inaugurated with great fanfare by MLA Ashok Prashar. The project is part of the drain coverage series starting from Gurudwara Dukhniwaran Sahib to Shagun palace and then from Transport Nagar to Shingaar Cinema bridge. The third phase is supposed to be from Shingaar cinema bridge to Gaughat crematorium.
MC superintending engineer Ranjit Singh said, “We were only waiting for the design of floodgates from IIT Roorkee. We have received a copy recently and now, we will prepare estimates for the floodgates. Then we can go ahead with the drain coverage project side by side.
” We also published the following articles recently PWD to inspect old bridge on Barapullah drain for repairs Concerns have been raised about the structural integrity of an aging bridge situated over the Barapullah drain near Delhi's Oberoi flyover. The Public Works Department (PWD), recognizing the potential hazards posed by years of vehicular traffic, is taking proactive measures. Inhumane: Man found removing silt from drain at Ganapathy A laborer in Coimbatore was filmed cleaning a drain without safety gear, highlighting the violation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
Activists criticized the corporation contractor for employing such unsafe practices. While officials claim to have warned against manual scavenging, the cheaper labor cost compared to machinery seems to be the driving factor. Damaged ballot boxes found in drain Residents of Yattinahalli village in Karnataka discovered 10 damaged ballot boxes discarded in a drain, prompting an investigation by district authorities.
The boxes, believed to be from previous gram panchayat elections, were found near a warehouse where old voting materials are stored..
