CHANDIGARH, JUNE 4 — Punjab Local Government Minister Harjot Singh Bains announced on Wednesday the launch of the state’s largest-ever sewerage desilting campaign, targeting the clearance of 2,200 kilometers of underground lines ahead of the monsoon season.
The extensive infrastructural drive aims to eliminate urban water-logging and recurring drainage failures across all cities and towns. Municipal teams have identified 1,400 chronic overflow locations, which include 800 kilometers of primary trunk lines and 1,400 kilometers of neighborhood branch networks.
“Every year, when rains come, every city and every mohalla has some points where sewage overflows,” Bains stated during the policy launch. “This time, under the vision of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, we have been given a clear target, no sewage overflow anywhere in Punjab’s cities and towns.”
To ensure the campaign’s success, the Local Government Department has provided specialized training to Junior Engineers and field staff. The state has deployed high-capacity jetting equipment and specialized super-suction machinery to handle stubborn blockages. Administrative supervisors noted that separate control rooms and digital dashboards are being established to provide live progress updates and fix worker accountability.
The ministerial review detailed specific local targets, including desilting 108 kilometers of lines and 47 hotspots in Jalandhar, 93 kilometers in Patiala, 40 kilometers in Ludhiana, and 55 kilometers in Bathinda. Work is also underway across Mohali, Zirakpur, Kharar, Dhuri, Kotkapura, and Nangal, where sub-surface clearing is occurring for the first time.
Bains affirmed that negligence would meet strict administrative action, citing a recent case in Ludhiana’s Bhattian area where solid concrete was discovered poured inside a neighborhood sewer line, causing a six-year blockage.
“Our aim is that this time, you will see a real difference, no water-logging, no sewage back-flow, no dengue-spreading from water stagnation,” Bains asserted, adding that lawmakers and municipal councilors will help oversee operations in the field.
