Ludhiana: Officials indifferent to potholes, grime coating MC’s multi-storey parking

Potholed floors, defunct lifts, stinking washrooms, and a thick coating of grime have sadly become the defining features of the lone multi-storey parking on the premises of the municipal corporation’s Zone-A office near Mata Rani Chowk.

With the parking catering to old city markets, including Chaura Bazar, and Akalgarh Market, hundreds of vehicles, including two and four wheelers of those visiting the MC office, are parked at the lot on a daily basis. However, authorities have been turning a blind eye to the abject state of disrepair the multi-storey parking has fallen into.

On an average, around 500 cars are parked in six-storey parking facility on a daily basis and the number increases to around 1,000 on Saturday and Sunday. Two-wheelers are mostly parked on the ground floor and basement.

No major repair work has been undertaken by the MC since the parking was thrown open to the public in the year 2000, and only ad hoc work has been taken up from time to time. Any repair to the potholes wears off in no time, subjecting the public to a bumpy ride.

The contractor’s staff says that the lifts have never been operated and are have been lying defunct for a long time.

Swachhta claims go for a toss

Despite tall claims made by authorities to promote ‘Swachhta’ in the city, its own parking facility is filthy. The defunct fountain at the entry of the parking facility is a mere preface of what is to come.

A visitor, Gurminder Singh, says, “There are deep potholes on the first floor of the parking lot, which are not visible to drivers. Unhygienic conditions prevail with foul smell emanating from the washrooms. Sadly, this is the only parking facility in the area and it too is ill-maintained.”

A staff member, requesting anonymity, said, “Many times vehicles get damaged due to potholes and even the staff tries to keep away from the washrooms due to unhygienic conditions. The issue has been raised several times, but to no avail.”

The parking contractor also slammed the civic body for not taking up the repair work. Contractor Manish Shah said the MC failed to repair the parking before handing over the possession of the lot. “As per the contract, the contractor has to maintain the parking facility, but one can only maintain something if it was in good condition in the first place. We have already spent ₹3 lakh on repairs and improving the lighting of the parking lot, though we were not compensated for it. We will again take up repair work as it is for the betterment of visitors, but the MC is not bothered about the same,” said Shah.

Despite attempts to reach the MC zonal commissioner Jasdev Sekhon, he remained unavailable for comment.

Mayor Balkar Sandhu said that directions will be issued to the contractor and MC staff to repair the potholes and clean the parking lot. Sandhu said, “The MC is working on a proposal to revamp the building and parking facility of the MC headquarters. The proposal is being discussed at state level as it requires a lot of funds.”

Proposal to establish restaurant hangs fire

The proposal to establish a restaurant at the seventh floor the multi-storey parking is yet to see the light of the day. The floor is in a sad state with wild grass and waste all around. In December 2017, the MC house had also approved a resolution to establish a shopping complex in the basement and ground floor of the facility, but it failed to materialise.