With residents struggling in knee-deep water, several roads waiting for recovery in Punjab’s Kharar
Accidents occur regularly, with even buses and trucks getting stuck, often needing tractors and cranes to pull them out. The administration once attempted a temporary fix with gravel, but conditions soon worsened again.
4 min read
A CTU bus stuck in a pothole near Shivalik city on Kharar-Landran road on Thursday. (Express Photo)The condition of the Kharar–Landran road has become unbearable, with potholes as deep as 2–2.5 feet turning the highway into a nightmare. What once took 10–15 minutes to cover now takes over two hours. Every day, thousands of commuters suffer in traffic jams, broken roads, with sewage-filled water. Two-wheeler riders face the worst hardships, while schoolchildren remain stuck in buses for hours and ambulances are trapped for want of an alternative route.
Local resident Kulbir Singh said that streetlights do not work at night, making it impossible to spot the water-filled potholes. Accidents occur regularly, with even buses and trucks getting stuck, often needing tractors and cranes to pull them out. The administration once attempted a temporary fix with gravel, but conditions soon worsened again.
According to sources, builders of nearby colonies illegally connected their sewerage lines to the highway’s drainage, causing blockages. During monsoons, flooding damaged the road further. Three years ago, the Deputy Commissioner directed the Municipal Council to manage cleaning while NHAI would repair slabs. Although funds were released annually, proper cleaning never happened.
All adjoining roads leading to residential societies and villages are also in disrepair. For the past year and a half, sewerage projects worth Rs 43 crore have been underway. Two STP plants and new sewer lines are being laid from Nijjar Road through Chajju Majra, Shivalik City, and Sante Majra up to Khooni Majra. The work was to be completed by March 31, but delays due to political tussles and slow pace have left it incomplete. Officials have now sought a six-month extension.
The rainy season has turned several areas into swamps. In Shivalik City, residents wade through knee-deep water, with roads reduced to mud and potholes. Harjit Singh Pannu, an Akali Dal leader, recalled how two buses recently got stuck in ditches near Shivalik City and had to be pulled out with tractors and cranes. Residents even staged a protest outside the SDM office.
Congress leader Jiti Padiala alleged that despite crores of rupees lying with the Municipal Council, negligence has prevented roads from being repaired. He warned of a major agitation if immediate action is not taken.
Local youths staged symbolic protests by planting paddy saplings in waterlogged potholes on Nijjar Road to highlight government apathy. “We even protested outside the SDM office but nothing changed,” Parmveer Singh Banga said.
In Sector 125 New Sunny Enclave, a one-kilometre road linking to the highway has broken at multiple points. Tar has peeled off, and rainwater hides the depth of potholes, causing frequent accidents. Many two-wheeler riders have fallen and been injured.
Advocate Darshan Singh Dhaliwal, chairman of Progressive Front Punjab, warned that if conditions do not improve, legal action will be taken against NHAI and the administration in the High Court.
Meanwhile, when MLA Anmol Gagan Maan was asked about the poor state of roads, she dismissed the query, saying, “Don’t talk about roads, you people always start this topic.”
For residents like Major Singh, the suffering continues. “But our compulsion is, if we leave, where do we go,” he said.
One of the residents of Shivalik City, said, “We recently saw a video clip of our MLA, and we were shocked. If the MLA says, ‘Don’t talk about roads,’ then in the future, we will also say, ‘Don’t talk to us about votes’”.
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