Harshraj Singh is a staff reporter in Ludhiana. He covers civic issues and politics.
Articles by Harshraj Singh
Broken manholes open invitation to mishaps in city
Despite being aware of the fact that broken manhole covers are an invitation to mishaps, the municipal corporation and other authorities concerned have failed to pay attention to the menace in the city.
Updated on Sep 22, 2014 11:05 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
MC unmoved as trees get axed mysteriously
Despite indiscriminate axing of trees at a public park near railway crossing at Shastri Nagar without permission, the municipal corporation (MC) continues to turn a blind eye to the menace. Several trees were axed recently at a public park that falls under the MC, but the officials concerned claimed that no tree was axed.
Updated on Sep 21, 2014 03:34 PM IST
Autocar India | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Show-cause notices to building inspectors
Unhappy with the performance of building branch of municipal corporation (MC), the MC commissioner on Thursday issued show-cause notices to all building inspectors. The commissioner was dissatisfied by the report submitted by the building inspectors after checking the building bylaws of various buildings
Updated on Sep 20, 2014 12:04 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
MC officials sitting on dwindling coffers
Despite a deficit of at least Rs 3-4 crore every month, the municipal corporation (MC) seems uninterested in taking any initiative to retrieve payments that are stuck in form of pending rents and challans that could fill up the civic body’s exchequer
Updated on Sep 19, 2014 04:52 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
MC sitting on emptying coffers
Despite a deficit of at least Rs 3-4 crore every month, the municipal corporation (MC) seems uninterested in taking any initiative to retrieve payments that are stuck in form of pending rents and challans that could fill up the civic body's exchequer.
Updated on Sep 19, 2014 08:20 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
MC directs to remove unauthorised ad boards outside shops, showrooms
To ensure implementation of the Municipal Corporation Ludhiana Outdoor Advertisement Byelaws 2014, the civic body on Wednesday directed to remove the advertisement boards installed outside various shops, showrooms and buildings without its permission.
Updated on Sep 18, 2014 09:08 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
MC to beautify complexes, area around its Zone-C office
Finally, the civic body has decided to beautify the area and several complexes around the MC's Zone-C office that is located on Gill Road. The MC has even started the work to clean the area outside the complex of MC library, where a park will be constructed.
Updated on Sep 18, 2014 09:11 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Residents take up garbage-lifting issue at Sukhbir's sangat darshan
After the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation and A2Z Group failed to ensure timely lifting of garbage from various dumpsites of late, residents took up the issue during the sangat darshan of deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in Chandigarh recently.
Updated on Sep 15, 2014 08:17 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Potholed roads pose risk for commuters, authorities apathetic
In this rainy season, the condition of various broken roads has become worst, but the authorities concerned have failed to pay attention towards these roads. At some places, the potholes are so deep that they lead to accidents.
Updated on Sep 14, 2014 06:42 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Demand to cancel contract of Bhola & Co intensifies
After media reports on many cases of violations at the parking lots on the Ferozepur Road, political leaders have now demanded cancellation of the contract of Bhola & Co, which has been continuously violating the agreement with the MC.
Updated on Sep 10, 2014 09:54 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Bus service to be extended to city's outskirts
With the municipal corporation (MC) planning to float fresh tenders for operating and maintaining the fleet of the Ludhiana City Bus Service, it has decided to extend the bus service to the outskirts of the city.
Updated on Aug 30, 2014 07:31 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Illegal plying of autos,buses hits city bus service
Started with much fanfare in 2011, the city bus service has come to a grinding halt as the authorities have failed to stop illegal plying of autos and buses.
Updated on Aug 29, 2014 10:22 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Residents urge Centre to provide funds to cover up Ganda Nullah
The residents of Hargobind Nagar and adjoining areas have written to the central government to provide funds to cover Ganda Nullah, as neither the municipal corporation (MC) authorities nor the state government have bothered to look into the problems being faced by them.
Updated on Aug 28, 2014 01:23 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
2 yrs after MC worker’s death son struggles to get a job
The family members of a health worker, who died in 2012, is running from pillar to post to get a job for his son in the municipal corporation (MC) department.
Updated on Aug 27, 2014 03:15 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Week after drama, sangat darshan moved to confines of MC commissioner’s office
After high drama at the sangat darshan organised at the meeting hall of municipal corporation (MC)’s Zone-A office last week, the “public meeting” was conducted in the confines of MC commissioner’s office on Tuesday.
Updated on Aug 27, 2014 01:46 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Visitors continue to be taken for a ride at parking lots
As the authorities failed to act against "parking mafia", fleecing of visitors at various parking lots under the municipal corporation, district administration and zila parishad is continuing in every nook and corner of the city.
Updated on Aug 26, 2014 07:56 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
3 years on, MC awaiting notification of dog bylaws
Around three years after the state department of local bodies finalised the dog bylaws, the municipal corporation (MC) is still waiting for notification of the laws from the state government.With delay in notification of the bylaws, the MC is unable to start registration of pet dogs. Besides, with the civic body soon starting sterilisation of stray dogs, the staff may face problems differentiating between pet and stray dogs
Updated on Aug 23, 2014 07:41 PM IST
Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
MC leaves parks to locals’ tending
With delay in issuing funds to the park management committees (PMC), residents are spending money from their pocket to maintain various parks in the city. Members of some PMCs claimed that funds have not been issued this year.
Updated on Aug 23, 2014 03:00 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Visitors charged for parking in open area at MC office
Unauthorised “attendants” at an open area set aside for parking on the premises of the municipal corporation office at Mata Rani Chowk continue to cheat visitors by charging them for stationing their vehicles despite the fact that parking there is absolutely free unlike in the case of the multilevel parking lot located within the MC office premises.
Updated on Aug 22, 2014 03:51 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Flats start crumbling, but slum dwellers yet to get possesssion
The “dream homes” of the city’s slum dwellers have started crumbling in Giaspura even before the beneficiaries could take possession of the flats they were allotted under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) Scheme.
Updated on Aug 21, 2014 01:54 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
On HC order, 8 cows rescued from house
On the directions of Punjab and Haryana high court, eight cows were shifted from a house in Gurdev Nagar, one of the posh residential areas of the city, to a cow shelter on Hambran Road.
Updated on Aug 20, 2014 10:40 PM IST
Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
With no MC house meet, major issues stay unresolved
With delay in general house meeting of the municipal corporation, councillors are unable to redress the problems being faced by city residents. Despite repeated demands of the councillors, no house meeting had been organised since February.
Updated on Aug 19, 2014 03:12 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Wait for opening of underpass gets longer
The wait for opening of underpass on the Lodhi Club Road in Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar is getting longer due to the delay in construction of a sump to avoid waterlogging.
Updated on Aug 18, 2014 01:02 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
With 3 ATPs shunted out, anti-encroachment drive loses steam
Left with only two assistant town planners, the municipal corporation's drive against unauthorised encroachments in the city appears to have spluttered to a halt despite being given more time in May by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to raze the structures. With the next hearing on the matter coming up on September 9, time is fast running out for the civic body, which has not even decided when to resume the drive.
Updated on Aug 17, 2014 11:54 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Autos make hay as city buses stay off the streets
With the city’s bus service to take another two months to resume commuters will have to hold their horses for a while before they are again able to use public transport. The process of floating tenders to invite bids for a new operator under the net cost contract model is now under way.
Updated on Aug 15, 2014 10:08 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Residents to sue MC over failure to lift garbage
After the A2Z group has failed to lift the garbage from the service lane and area outside the under pass, near the Aggar Nagar colony entrance, the residents have decided to serve a legal notice to the municipal corporation here. The non-lifting up of garbage has led to unhygienic conditions in the area, especially during the rainy season.
Updated on Aug 15, 2014 10:04 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
ATP caught taking bribe: MC’s building branch under scanner
Following the arrest of assistant town planner (ATP) Banke Bihari for taking a bribe of Rs 1.25 lakh on Tuesday, questions have been raised over the working of municipal corporation’s building branch for not taking action on illegal constructions and encroachments across the city.
Updated on Aug 14, 2014 02:22 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Encroachments: Selective removal raises eyebrows
The several anti-encroachment drives in Jawahar Nagar by the municipal corporation's tehbazari wing in the past week have drawn flak from local residents and traders.
Updated on Aug 12, 2014 02:01 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
Health dept directs city hospitals to setup isolation wards in view of Ebola virus
After cases of Ebola virus were reported in some African countries, the health department has asked the major city hospitals to setup isolation wards and ventilators to deal any emergency case. On the directions of health and family welfare department, advisory was issued on August 7.
Updated on Aug 11, 2014 08:22 PM IST
None | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana
A month after deadline, dog sterilisation project hangs fire
Though an average 600 cases of dog bites are reported every month at Lord Mahavira Civil Hospital Ludhiana, the stray dog menace continues as the sterilisation project for dogs is hanging fire for the past five years.
Updated on Aug 05, 2014 03:02 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Harshraj Singh, Ludhiana