No money for buses, but Ludhiana buying expensive dredgers; cash cow river runs pitch black.

Ludhiana: A broke local civic body is buying expensive excavation machinery while its public transit fleet is auctioned off to pay legal debts.The municipal corporation has submitted a proposal to its Finance and Contracts Committee to purchase six long-boom Poclain machines for ₹4.6 crore for a river cleanup that residents say has achieved nothing.Critics claim the heavily polluted Buddha Dariya has become a lucrative cash cow for officials who continue to buy heavy machinery without the trucks needed to haul the waste away.The spending comes immediately after the civic body lost a legal dispute and failed to deposit court-ordered money, forcing the upcoming auction of 120 city buses.

It currently manages a 14-km urban stretch of the waterway using four owned excavators and two rented machines.Officials defended the new purchase by citing recommendations from Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal, arguing that buying the machinery is more cost-effective than long-term rentals.

However, internal officials and residents have questioned the logic of the acquisition.An operations department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the civic body lacked the necessary tipper trucks to transport the dredged waste.Each excavation machine requires up to 10 trucks to function effectively.

The corporation shares just 35 trucks across all its municipal branches, meaning dredged toxic sludge is routinely left stranded on the riverbanks.Executive Engineer Baljinder Singh said the proposal followed state government guidelines, leaving the final decision to the finance committee.The purchase is the latest in a series of expensive interventions, including a broader ₹650 crore rejuvenation project focused on upgrade sewage and effluent treatment plants.

Despite the massive outlays, residents say the waterway remains pitch-black and foul-smelling.“The Buddha Dariya has simply become a source of income for the authorities,” Chander Nagar resident Subhash Sharma said. “They keep spending on things that fail to clean it, just to fill their pockets.”You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Ludhiana | Silver Rate in Ludhiana | Bank Holidays in Ludhiana | Public Holidays in Ludhiana | Petrol Price in Ludhiana | Diesel Price in Ludhiana | CNG Price in Ludhiana | LPG Price in LudhianaStay updated with the latest Ludhiana news.

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