Better road infra: A dream too good to come true, say Amritsar residents as pleas remain unheard

The work was undertaken under the Punjab Rural Water and Sanitation Sector Improvement Project for the installation of a borewell, a water tank and a pipeline, said Sukhwinder Singh Arora, a resident.

“Once the work was over, the authorities did not task anybody with the road repair work,” he added. He said the roads were in a good condition before the work was started.

The CMO forwarded the complaints to senior officials, including the Amritsar Deputy Commissioner, but nothing concrete happened.

The residents said civic officials visited the colony, saying around Rs 1.25 crore would be required for the reconstruction of the main roads. A proposal was prepared and sent to the government only to be turned down later due to fund shortage.

They alleged that another official had assured them of arranging funds, but that too turned out to be a lie.

The residents also raised questions over the jurisdiction of the colony. They said Local Bodies Department officials told them that Imperial City did not fall under the Municipal Corporation. The former disputed the claim, saying during a special camp organised by the department last year, they had deposited property tax and sewerage tax for nearly 12 years in one go.

“If the colony does not fall under the Municipal Corporation, why were we taxed?” they asked. Following which, the officials concerned reportedly assured them of looking into the matter.

The authorities were willing to spend public money on road work in established areas, while basic infrastructure in colonies such as Imperial City was being ignored, the residents said.

They demanded that the Punjab Government and the district administration immediately clarify the colony’s civic jurisdiction, release funds and restore the damaged roads. They warned of an agitation if the issue was not resolved.