Ludhiana: A sudden midnight deluge has cast serious doubt over municipal flood-preparedness claims, leaving major roads caved in and residential zones mired in thick mud just two weeks before the official monsoon season begins.While civic authorities downplayed the Friday night storm — noting that water in high-risk areas like Samrala Chowk and Civil Lines drained by morning — the rainfall exposed severe vulnerabilities caused by ongoing infrastructure projects.In newly excavated suburbs like Model Town Extension and Dugri, incomplete canal-based water pipeline installations turned thoroughfares into impassable mud traps. The poor road reinstatement triggered immediate infrastructure failures.A heavy super-suction drainage truck narrowly avoided flipping over after sinking into a caved-in road sector near Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, while a recently repaired section of Pakhowal Road near the Indoor Stadium similarly collapsed.Residents blamed municipal contractors for failing to compact the soil after laying pipelines. “Our area was once considered a prime locality, but it is now substandard,” said Dugri resident Jaswinder Singh. “The roads are shabby. If they are not fixed before the rainy season, driving will be impossible.”Municipal officials revealed that only 50% of the city’s chronic waterlogging zones have been cleaned. However, management insisted that crews working with super-suction machines will complete the remaining clearance work within the next 15 days.
Weed being removed from a swollen Buddha Dariya in Ludhian
Water logged near Kundanpuri bridge in Ludhiana on Saturday
