MC goes ahead with GIS survey for Buddha Nullah

Ludhiana: In order to streamline the Buddha Nullah, the civic body will now get Geographic Information System (GIS) survey done so that encroachments could be removed from its banks. The task force constituted by the chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, has also been asking the civic officials to remove encroachments as because of these, the entire course of drain has become narrow at one location, while it is broder from the other.
However, earlier the civic officials asked the drainage department and the revenue department for an actual plan of drain, but when they could not help much, the officials have now opted for the GIS survey. A private firm will be hired for the survey in the coming few days, tenders will be floated to hire a firm. The officials claimed that it will take 15 days time to complete the survey and after that they will start removal of encroachments.
Last year, during the monsoon season, when the water-level increased in the drain, it returned to its old course and water was filled opposite the Tajpur Road where large numbers of slum dwellers were living illegally. On usual days, the land remains vacant and this is the reason that illegal slum was developed at that place. The authorities got the slums vacated during the monsoon season, but now again they have returned to the similar place, ignoring the last year’s experience. Similarly, at many other locations too, there are religious and other encroachments.
The assistant town planner of the municipal corporation, Mohan Singh, said, “Earlier, we had asked for records from the drainage department and revenue department, but both these departments could not provide much help, so now we are left with this survey only.” He said this survey will help in finding out the exact measurements of the drain and illegal structures will be removed.
Notably, 14-km long stretch of drain the passes falls under the MC limits, but the drain is not in a uniform pattern so there is a need to streamline its banks. The civic officials had broadened the banks of the drain at almost all the points. Heaps of debris and other waste material have also piled up at the sides of the drain.