The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation (MC) is intensifying efforts to desilt major sewer lines across the city using super-suction machines before the onset of the monsoon season. After allocating tenders for desilting 40 kilometers of sewerage, the civic body has now decided to spend an additional Rs 8.03 crore on cleaning more sewer lines ahead of the rains.
Mechanical Desilting Mandated
Officials stated that the Supreme Court has prohibited manual scavenging, necessitating all desilting and cleaning operations to be carried out mechanically using specialized high-efficiency equipment. To streamline operations, the government had previously empanelled nine firms for the task. Initial work orders were successfully allocated to consenting agencies, and a high-level review meeting was held in Chandigarh on April 30.
Contractor Constraints
During the meeting, the remaining empanelled contractors expressed their inability to deploy additional machinery or scale up operations to meet the comprehensive cleaning demands of the civic body. Recognizing the critical public health and infrastructure importance of completing the remaining desilting work before seasonal variations impact the city, senior authorities directed the issuance of a new expression of interest.
Two Major Clusters
The pending desilting operations have been divided into two major clusters. The first proposal covers major stretches including Police Colony Chowk to Jamalpur Chowk, Jamalpur Chowk to Veer Palace Chowk, Vishwakarma Chowk to Overlock Road (storm sewer), Ram Sharnam Chowk to Garg Optical, and associated ward lines with diameters ranging from 8 inches to 24 inches, at a cost of Rs 4.68 crore.
The second group includes stretches such as Tajpur Road to Shani Mandir, Veer Palace Chowk to Petrol Pump, Star Road Chowk to Daba Police Chowk, Dandi Swami Chowk to Bus Stand via Bharat Nagar Chowk, and associated ward areas with diameters from 8 inches to 24 inches, at a cost of Rs 3.35 crore.
Official Statement
A senior MC official confirmed the details, stating, “We need to clean the sewer lines not only before the rainy season but also after the monsoon. Therefore, the tender is for one year. After the rainy season, desilting is required more because sewer lines get filled with sand.” He emphasized the goal of cleaning all sewer lines in the city with super-suction machines.
Questions Raised
Sources have raised questions about the second tender, noting that nine firms were already hired. They questioned why new tenders were floated and whether the officials would cancel the previous tender if new firms quote lower rates.
Residents have demanded regular desilting to prevent waterlogging and sewer overflow. Richa Sharma, a resident of Shivpuri, said, “Desilting of sewer lines should be a permanent feature as it will improve the sewer system. In many areas, the sewer system collapses in the rainy season, leading to flooding in residential areas and adding to our woes.”
Another resident from Haibowal, Anup Kumar, noted that the civic body had identified 142 low-lying areas where waterlogging or flooding occurs almost every year, most located near Buddha Dariya. He questioned whether the civic body has found measures to avoid this situation this year, adding that authorities only wanted to save their skin as this is an election year, and flooding could spoil their game.
