Tarn Taran Diary: Roads in town promise a bumpy ride to commuters

All roads in the interior parts of Tarn Taran town have been facing total neglect for the last many years and seek special attention. As a result, their condition has gone from bad to worse. It’s not just the main roads and busy bazaars, even the condition of major roads linking the outer parts of the town has been deteriorating. The town has a population of an estimated one lakh and it is increasing day by day. The reason is very simple as for the last three years, the extortionists have made the life of the well to do families living in the villages miserable. These well off families are migrating to towns to escape the extortionists. There is not even a single road in the town which could become an example with its good condition. From the road in the busy Adda Bazaar in Tarn Taran to the roads in Muradpur, a slum area, all are in poor condition. Take the example of Adda Bazaar which is a major part of the main market in the town and is in a dilapidated condition. The upper layer of the road is broken and removed from many spots. The bazaar leads to Sri Darbar Sahib. Even then, the authorities do not care to renovate the bazaar road. The other roads leading to Sri Darbar Sahib — Tehsil Bazaar, Langar Bazaar (Bheera Bazaar), Guard Bazaar, Guru Bazaar too were in the same awful condition. The condition of roads in areas adjoining the Darbar Sahib too is not good. From the Noordi Adda Chaunk to the Sachkhand road, there are potholes and broken stretches. The authorities cannot face the resentment of the residents of Sachkhand road as the road is totally damaged and people fall down while on way to the cremation ground. The residents of Mohalla Tonk Kshatriya, Balmiki Colony, Guru ka Khooh, Bugha road, Kajikot road, Goindwal Sahib road, Mohalla Jaswant Singh and some others have challenged the authorities to visit their area as the roads are in a miserable condition with the officials never visiting these localities. The residents of Gokalpur Mohalla and Muradpur localities besides some nearby areas said that they were being discriminated against as they are in slum areas. The condition of roads in the heart of the town like Noodri Bazaar, Machhi Wala Bazaar, Chaunk Nange Pairan Wala, Chaunk Bhan Singh, Dahian Wala Bazaar, Kutian Wala Bazaar, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Public School road, Rest House-cum-Church Road etc too are not good. Besides, the condition of the State Bank Road, Station Road, Jandiala Road, roads on both sides of Kasur drain, Kajikot road and others show extensive signs of wear and tear. There is not even a single road in the town which is in good condition. It makes the normal life of the residents miserable, especially during the rainy season when the town gets waterlogged and plying of vehicles becomes difficult. The Jandiala Road, which is the lifeline of residents, has deep potholes all over. On this road, there are big potholes at the T-point on State Bank road. The residents unanimously demand the early renovation of roads in Tarn Taran. The residents said as the town was established by the fifth Sikh Master Sri Guru Arjun Dev, so it must be given priority in giving development works a boost.

Pothole poses risk to school buses

Half-hearted measures and apathy on the part of the administration in repairing a large pothole on the bank of the drain on the east side of the town might prove dangerous for commuters, especially the schoolchildren travelling in their buses as the loose soil used to fill the pit may give way during rain. The incessant rains and plying of heavy vehicles caused damage to the road alongside the drain which resulted in the creation of a pit measuring one metre deep and two metre in width. Instead of finding a ‘concrete’ solution to the problem, loose soil was used to fill the pit. However, the loose soil may again be washed off in the rain and an accident may occur anytime. Mostly school buses ply on this road and it deserves immediate repair and renovation to prevent any untoward incident.