Industry slams flyover opening delay in Ludhiana

LUDHIANA: In a setback for thousands of industrial units located at focal points, opening of the Dhandari flyover is set to be delayed.
Both sides of the flyover, which is a lifeline for the city's industry, was closed to traffic in the last week of March. Officials said at the time that it would take 45 days to repair it, which meant that the work would be complete by May 7. Now, the estimated deadline has been postponed to May 30. Industrialists in the city want authorities to open one side of the flysover by the previous deadline, saying that delay would cause losses.
MC superintending engineer Parveen Singla said, "We got permission for repair of the Dhandari flyover a little late but we have fixed the target for completion of work on May 30. Work will be completed by then and the flyover will be reopened."
For industrialists, this is not a viable solution. Rajneesh Ahuja, president, Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry said, "We are facing huge inconvenience due to closure of the Dhandari Flyover, which is the quickest and most suitable access for reaching different phases of focal points. Big vehicles have been taking long detours to enter focal points via Chandigarh Road since the last week of March. Earlier, it used to take only five to 10 minutes from Delhi highway via Dhandari flyover. Now, travel time has increased to 45 minutes to more than an hour."