Roads in a shambles in Panipat’s industrial areas

Mukesh Tandon

Panipat, July 5

Roads in all five industrial clusters — Sector 25 Part-1, Part-2, Sector 29 Part-1, Part-2 and the Old Industrial Area — of the globally known ‘Textile City’ are in a poor state. With the arrival of the monsoon season, their condition has doubled the problems of hundreds of people, including industrialists, workers and labourers, who come here on a daily basis.

Roads riddled with potholes get inundated with rainwater which makes movement risky for commuters and pedestrians.

The industrialists’ associations have raised the issue several times with officials of the district administration, Industries Department and even political leaders, but to no avail.

Issues raised with authorities, but to no avail

• Roads riddled with potholes get inundated with rainwater, which makes movement risky for commuters and pedestrians.
• Besides, drains have been lying choked in these areas due to which sewage flows on to roads.
• The industrialists’ associations have raised the issue several times with officials of the district administration and the Industries Department.
• They had recently raised the issue with the CM through Minister Mahipal Dhanda a week ago

One side of the main Sector 25/29 bypass road was dismantled for laying a sewer line from the Aggarsen Chowk to the NH-44 in 2019. The road has not been constructed even after five years. The main road from the Transport Nagar T-point to Basant Enclave is also in a shambles.

The condition of the roads is the worst in Sector 25 Part-2. The roads here have not been re-constructed or repaired for the last 10 years.

Sanjeev Garg, Secretary, Industrial Association Sector 25 Part-2, said, “Roads have been lying broken for the last 8-9 years. Besides, the stormwater drainage system has been lying choked for a long time. We are fed up of raising the issues with the authorities and political leaders.”

“The main issue here is that there is no coordination between the Municipal Corporation (MC) and the Haryana State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC). “The MC had to hand over the industrial sector to the HSIIDC, but the file has been pending with the MC for a long time,” he said. “There are two associations in the sector and the members of both associations recently raised the issue with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini through Minister Mahipal Dhanda during his visit to Panipat a week ago,” he said. “A delegation also went to Chandigarh on Wednesday but the Chief Minister had to go to Delhi yesterday that’s why they couldn’t meet him,” Garg added.

Similarly, in the Sector-29 Part-2 dyeing units’ sector, several roads had not been repaired for many years, said Nitin Arora, President, Panipat Dyers’ Association. Besides, due to the problem of choked sewerage in the sector, waste water overflowed on to main roads, he said.

He said the sector fell under three departments — HSIIDC, MC and HSVOP — and the industrialists were forced to run from one department to another for their works, said Arora.

Vinod Dhamija, Chairman, Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Panipat Chapter, alleged that the Old Industrial Area had been abandoned by the authorities. The HSIIDC has constructed the roads, but forgot to lay the tiles on both sides of the road.

“We have raised the issues several times with the authorities but no heed has been paid to these problems,” said Dhamija.