Sidhwan waterfront caught in MC-forest dept tussle

Ludhiana: There seem to be no end to the tussle between the Ludhiana municipal corporation and forest department over Sidhwan waterfront. The differences, which had emerged right after some concrete structures were dismantled by the forest department following court orders in April 2022, have continued to take a toll on maintenance of the waterfront, which is otherwise one of the most beautiful and green spots in the city. Even after more than one-and-a-half years, certain damaged structures and termite-affected trees in Sidhwan Canal waterfront in Sarabha Nagar have not been attended to. The civic officials are not in a mood to fix the damaged portion, which visitors find an eyesore. Visitors claimed that several trees in the waterfront have been damaged by termites, and many are on the verge of collapse.In April last year, the forest department had dismantled some structures after a local court ordered that there should be no concrete structure at least up to 1-km area. But the forest department’s action didn’t go down well with the MC, which even considered taking legal action against the latter. An inquiry was marked in the case, but there has been no outcome till date.MC executive engineer Surinder Singh said, “The project was developed under the Smart City mission, so only they can tell about the status.”MC executive engineer and Smart City in-charge Balwinder Singh said, “Trees belong to the forest department. Once the project was completed, it was handed over to the MC for maintenance. The smart city has nothing to do with it now.”Regarding termite-laden trees, Kripal Singh, a junior engineer of horticulture branch of MC, said, “The area belongs to forest department and if any action has to be taken it will done through forest officials.”Meanwhile, a daily visitor to the waterfront, Sarabjit Singh, said, “People from nearby areas come for walk in the area. The damaged portions have not been repaired. This project had become talk of the town and received appreciation from the residents in the city.” He suggested officials should at least clear the debris from the spot now.Another visitor Shruti Jain said, “Some trees are in a poor condition. The officials should do something to save these trees. If nothing is done immediately, the trees might fall down, leading to some untoward incident.”The district forest officer said he was recently appointed to the post, so he is not aware ofany past issue. He said he will be able to comment only after checking the status from the staff.