Ludhiana: With the monsoon at the doorstep, the Ludhiana municipal corporation (MC) is racing against tight deadlines to patch potholes, clear road gulleys, and desilt choked drainage networks. While the civic body missed its Tuesday deadline to completely fix potholes across several troubled commuter belts, officials stated that flood relief will ultimately depend on whether a rising Satluj river causes the Budha Dariya to backflow into local residential colonies.While pre-monsoon cleaning of the Buddha Dariya is complete within city limits, a 5km stretch outside municipal boundaries remains untouched. Managing this network is critical because all internal city drains empty into the Buddha Dariya, which subsequently discharges directly into the Satluj.To prevent waterlogging, the civic body has prioritised clearing key internal municipal channels, including the Barewal, Dhoka Mohalla, and Domoria Bridge drains. For covered networks like the Shivaji Nagar drain, crews are using heavy-duty super suction machines, while open channels are being cleared using poclain excavators.The civic body has also launched special night operations to quickly cart away excavated sludge and reinforce the vulnerable embankments of the Buddha Dariya. Concurrently, field teams are re-verifying sewer lines, though senior officials acknowledged that sewer maintenance is an ongoing process that will stretch well into the rainy season.To ensure accountability, the administration is forcing ground staff to resubmit official completion certificates for road gulley clearing. An anonymous senior MC official stated, “We have prepared well from our side, but the actual picture will become clear when the actual rainy season starts.”Zonal commissioners have been ordered to continuously monitor low-lying hotspots. Municipal commissioner Ojasvi Alankar said, “We are covering every aspect to avoid water logging during the rainy season. The senior officials, including the zonal commissioners, have been directed to regularly monitor the low-lying areas in their respective zones.”
