After cave-ins, Ludhiana moves to fix aged sewer lines

Following major road cave-in incidents, the technical committee of Ludhiana Smart City Ltd (LSCL) has approved floating tenders to strengthen the four decades old brick sewer line in areas under the Smart City Mission (ABD area). Half a dozen road cave-in incidents have been reported in the recent past due to leakages in the old sewer lines. The approval was granted during a meeting of the committee held under the chairmanship of Ludhiana Municipal Corporation Commissioner and chief executive officer of LSCL Shena Aggarwal this week. The proposal will be sent to the state-level technical committee for final approval before floating a tender. As per the proposal, the standalone trench-less structural lining of the brick sewer line will be taken up at a cost of Rs 822.20 million in the areas between Hero Bakery Chowk and Haibowal Puli, through Malhar Road and Kaka Marriage Palace Road. Malhar Road which is being converted into a smart road under the Smart City Mission. The authorities said roads would not be dug up under the project and the work would be completed using trench-less technology. Mayor Balkar Sandhu had directed the municipal corporation to expedite the project after a major portion of road caved-in near Shastri Nagar railway crossing last week. The road portion collapsed for the second time in a period of nine days. See also: What are the implications of increased GST on Smart Cities?45 Smart City projects in Tiruchy to be completed by March 2023