Pakhowal ROB, RUB project: Amid piling losses, shopkeepers upset over ‘lockdown-like’ situation

The nearly kilometre-long stretch extending from Pakhowal Road to Hero Bakery has remained closed off for almost a year now due to the ongoing construction of the Pakhowal Road railway over bridge and two railway under bridges. However, the protracted project has imperiled the livelihoods of around a dozen shopkeepers, who had set shop in the area.

With the project blowing past its deadlines, many traders, primarily tenants, have relocated their businesses, while others are looking for a way out. Likening the situation to the Covid-induced lockdown, traders in the area said they never got a chance to recover from the slump as the footfall remained low due to the ongoing project.

Many shopkeepers said that they struggled to pay their stores’ rent and thus had to vacate the premises. “With few customers visiting our shop, and rising inflation, it was difficult to make a livelihood,” a trader, requesting anonymity said, adding that while undertaking projects for the welfare of the public, authorities should be sensitive to the plight of the shopkeepers and make efforts to meet the deadline.

Saroj Kumar, a garment shop owner, who was forced to shift his business from the stretch last year, said, “It so happened that the authorities closed the area three days after I opened my shop near the railway crossing. I was forced to shift my shop and around a dozen shopkeepers, and eatery owners have relocated since.”

Doubtful about the market ever reviving, he said, “At present, the situation in the market is even worse than the lockdown as there uncertainty over whether the footfall will revive at all as the traffic will be redirected to the over and under bridges. At present, the vehicles can come to a certain point from Hero Bakery Chowk towards the railway crossing, but the commuters avoid the route as they have to make a U-turn afterwards. Even the regular customers have started moving to shops in other areas.”

Owner of a sport equipment shop, Mehakpreet Singh, says, “There has been around 30% reduction in business due to the closure of the stretch. The authorities must expedite the project.”

Initiated, in December last year, the Pakhowal Road railway over bridge (ROB) and railway under bridge (RUB) project was due to be completed in August. However, several deadlines for completing the project in a phased manner have been missed. It seems unlikely that the December 31 deadline will be met either.

Under the project, a 839.83-m long ROB, is being constructed to allow movement of traffic from the Pakhowal Road Canal Bridge to the Hero Bakery Chowk, and a 1,018.46-m long RUB is being constructed from the Pakhowal Road Canal Bridge up to Leisure Valley in Sarabha Nagar, and another 458.20-m long RUB is being constructed from Hero Bakery Chowk up to the Pakhowal Road canal bridge.

“Around 60% of our business has been affected as a few eateries, the owners of which used to purchase kirana (groceries and other sundry items) from our store, have been closed due to low footfall. The situation is reminiscent of the lockdown as no or low footfall is being witnessed. Those who had rented their stores have shifted. I have been able to pull through so far as I own my store. The uncertainty will prevail even after the project is completed,” said Amrik Singh, a kirana store owner

A lottery shop owner Jasmeet Singh said, “ No customer has set foot in our shop since the authorities stopped the movement of all vehicles, including two-wheelers on the stretch. Our regulars call us for tickets, which we have to get delivered at our own cost. We are struggling to make ends meet and therefore want to shift from the area. Only 30% sales were witnessed on Diwali this year, which is peak time for sale of lottery tickets. Authorities should meet their deadlines for our sake!”

“Everyday we are suffering huge losses as we can only cater to our regular customers, who avail our services over the phone. Nobody comes to the market and traders are forced to sit idle the while day. Meanwhile, construction work is going on at snail’s pace, with only a few labourers working at the site,” said Harvinder Singh, glass shop owner.