A major ₹6-crore plan to address Ludhiana's most hazardous and congested intersections has come to a standstill due to bureaucratic hurdles, leaving frustrated commuters grappling with daily traffic jams. The municipal corporation's flagship road-safety initiative has been delayed for months after officials were compelled to issue construction tenders three separate times because of insufficient corporate bids. Local administrators have finally received a single bid for each intersection on their third attempt and now claim they will expedite the contracts.
Project Details and Funding
Funded under the central government's National Clean Air Programme, the project targets 15 notorious choke points previously identified as accident black spots. The comprehensive overhaul aims to eliminate illegal encroachments, realign poorly designed junctions, construct new slip lanes, and install modern traffic dividers, pedestrian crossings, and clear signage. Superintending engineer Sham Lal Gupta confirmed that the civic body will bypass further bidding rounds to immediately award the contracts.
Timeline and Challenges
Despite the sudden sense of urgency, engineering experts warn that the physical upgrades will take at least six months to complete once construction finally begins. The targeted bottlenecks span the city's critical transit corridors, including the highly congested Jagraon Bridge Chowk, Vishwakarma Chowk, Durga Mata Mandir Chowk, and Sabzi Mandi Chowk.
Resident Concerns
Frustrated residents say the infrastructure delays are costing lives and crippling daily commutes. If these intersections need urgent renovation, then the authorities must prioritize them, said Civil Lines resident Manish Gupta. Other unnecessary projects can wait. New Maya Nagar resident Veena Kapoor added that the redevelopment had been promised for years with zero progress on the ground. Fixing these junctions is the only way to reduce chronic traffic jams and stop the rising number of accidents, she said.
The delays have sparked widespread criticism, with many calling for immediate action to improve road safety and ease congestion in the city.
