CHANDIGARH, India, June 22 – Punjab will eliminate all open manholes across its cities by June 30 to prevent accidents during the upcoming monsoon season, the state’s Local Government Minister Harjot Singh Bains announced on Monday.
The minister has directed all municipal commissioners and additional deputy commissioners for urban development to submit compliance reports confirming the closure of the hazardous openings.
“Citizen safety is non-negotiable,” Bains said, warning of zero tolerance for administrative negligence. He added that failures in the “zero open manhole” drive, which falls under the state’s broader Mission Clean Punjab initiative, would result in strict disciplinary action.
A recent statewide safety audit identified 1,451 gaps in Punjab’s sewerage infrastructure ahead of the rainy season. Of those, more than 1,000 have already been repaired, according to Bains.
To track the remaining closures in real time, the state’s local government department has launched an artificial intelligence-integrated mobile app. Civic officials are now required to conduct mandatory field inspections daily between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. Additionally, 24-hour control rooms have been established in all urban centers to monitor waterlogging, sewer blockages, and monsoon-related grievances.
With eight days remaining before the deadline, Ghanshyam Thori, the administrative secretary of the local government department, stated that he is personally supervising the campaign and that officials who fail to secure the remaining open pits will face disciplinary penalties
Leave feedback about this