As the district administration and municipal corporation (MC) of Ludhiana gear up for the monsoon season, the city's rain shelters tell a different story of neglect and decay. Originally constructed as bus stops, these facilities were repurposed as rain shelters after the local bus service was discontinued. However, they now stand in a dilapidated state, with broken roofs, missing benches, and piles of garbage making them unusable.
Residents Voice Concerns
Commuters like Santosh Kumar, who travels daily via Jalandhar Bypass, lament the condition of these shelters. 'Broken roofs and benches, along with heaps of garbage, make it impossible to wait and take shelter during rainfall,' he said. Many residents allege that most rain shelters have fallen into disrepair and have been reduced to large advertisement boards, offering no real protection from the rain.
Without functional shelters, people are forced to seek cover under flyovers during downpours. Several shelters across the city have been misused: some are occupied by homeless individuals as temporary living spaces, while others lie abandoned and filled with filth. A few have been almost completely dismantled, leaving only ruins behind.
Specific Problem Areas
The situation is particularly grim near Khalsa College for Women at Ghumar Mandi, where a shelter is being used as an open urinal. 'The area emits a foul smell, and it becomes impossible to even pass through the stretch,' complained Gurleen, a student at the college. Additionally, many shelters have been encroached upon by roadside vendors who use them to station carts and store tins. The stretch near Jalandhar Bypass is a prime example, where vendors have taken over the space meant for commuters.
'All these rain shelters are abandoned with no infrastructure, and only huge advertisements placed on them. Rather than giving shelter during rain, these are advertisement poles,' said Karamjit Singh, a resident of Sarabha Nagar. According to locals, the worst conditions are near Buddha Nullah, where homeless people live behind the shelters and use them to dry clothes.
'It is disappointing to see how there are no chairs at the shelter and families are using it for chores,' remarked a resident from a nearby locality. Another city resident called for urgent action, stating, 'With monsoon approaching, authorities need to restore these shelters to their original purpose.'
The district administration has set up control rooms, and the MC is conducting surveys of flood-prone areas, but residents feel that immediate repairs to the rain shelters are necessary to provide basic relief during the rainy season.
