A protest by residents of Basant Nagar, Golden Avenue and Sharman Enclave on Sunday prompted the administration to begin repair work on one of the two approach roads connecting the area to the city within about 30 minutes of the demonstration.The dilapidated condition of the road in Basant Nagar in Ludhiana. (Gurpreet SinghHT)Around 60 to 70 residents, led by Jasvir Singh Garewal, founder of Punjabi Chetna Satth, gathered on the 40-foot road, holding placards and raising slogans to demand the reconstruction of the badly damaged stretch. They alleged that the road had remained in a dilapidated condition for nearly seven years, with large potholes making commuting difficult and unsafe.Soon after the protest began, a JCB machine reached the site and repair work commenced on one of the two roads linking the village to the city.Addressing the protesters, Garewal said the road’s poor condition had led to several accidents, leaving commuters with injuries and fractures after falling into potholes. He alleged that residents had been demanding the reconstruction of both roads for the past three months and had submitted memorandums to the deputy commissioner (DC), additional deputy commissioner (ADC) and MLA Jeevan Singh Sangowal, but no action was taken.While welcoming the commencement of repair work on one road, Garewal said the administration should also reconstruct the second approach road and install streetlights along the stretch to improve commuter safety.Sarpanch Gurmej Singh of Partap Singhwala village said, “Pothole repair work has begun on one of the roads and is expected to be completed within two months.”When contacted, MLA Jeevan Singh Sangowal said the repair work had been delayed due to the monsoon. “The work has now commenced and will be completed at the earliest,” he added.