MC bags Smart City award for Pakhowal Rd project

Ludhiana: Adding another feather in its cap, Municipal Corporation (MC) Ludhiana and Ludhiana Smart City Limited (LSCL) bagged the Smart City Award for the Pakhowal Road railway overbridge (ROB)/railway underbridges (RUB) project during the 10th Smart Cities India Expo held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, Friday.
LSCL was adjudged the best among smart cities in the category of innovative transport solution for the city.
The award was presented to MC commissioner-cum-CEO of LSCL, Aaditya Dachalwal, by the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA), GoI.
Dachalwal was felicitated by former joint director (finance), National Capital Region planning board, MoHUA, Rajeev Chadha; joint secretary (ministry of science and technology) A Dhanalakshmi; and founder and chief architect, Shilpa Architects Planners Designers Pvt Ltd, Sheila Sriprakash.
Superintending engineer (SE) Sanjay Kanwar, executive engineer Balwinder Singh, among other officials, accompanied Dachalwal to the event.
Dachalwal, along with Mayor Inderjit Kaur, congratulated the entire team of the civic body and residents of Ludhiana for the achievement.
Speaking about the award-winning project, Dachalwal said, "It was taken up at a cost of Rs 130 crore (including the railway portion cost) under the Smart City Mission, and it provided a major relief to the residents in terms of the movement of traffic. One ROB and two RUBs were built with advanced techniques that minimise environmental impact. The project was undertaken to address the persistent challenges of traffic congestion, frequent delays due to railway crossings, and poor connectivity in one of Ludhiana's busiest corridors."
Stating that the project aligns with the core objectives of the Smart Cities Mission, Dachalwal said it enhanced urban mobility, ensured safety, and adopted sustainable engineering practices. Eco-friendly materials and techniques were utilised to minimise environmental impact.
By addressing the longstanding issue of traffic congestion, the project significantly reduced travel time and fuel consumption for daily commuters. The elimination of level crossings minimise the risk of accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians, he added.