Ludhiana's Chand Cinema bridge inauguration delayed as Punjab chief minister visit postponed.

Ludhiana: The long-awaited inauguration of the newly built Chand Cinema bridge over the Buddha Dariya was postponed on Tuesday after Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann cancelled his visit to this city abruptly to attend to an emergency in Majitha.

Mann had been scheduled to inaugurate the bridge — part of the Ludhiana Smart City Mission — and a new structure at Ambedkar Bhawan during his trip, which was finalised after three days of planning. He was also set to visit Dayanand Medical College Hospital to meet patients injured in a recent Pakistani drone strike. However, plans changed when reports emerged of deaths due to spurious liquor in Majitha. The CM diverted his travel to the affected region around 10.15 am, suspending all Ludhiana events, including the high-profile bridge opening.

Preparations for the inauguration at Chand Cinema had begun already, with tents, coolers, and a security presence deployed. Punjab legislator Madan Lal Bagga, who had been seeking the Mann's time for more than a week, said the CM was now expected to visit on Wednesday. "It was important for the CM to go to Majitha. The inauguration will happen tomorrow," Bagga told reporters.

The opposition parties, however, criticised the delay. District BJP president Rajnesh Dhiman questioned the necessity of the CM's presence, saying that public utility should not hinge on political schedules. "If Bagga is public-spirited truly, he should open the bridge with the mayor or do it himself. Why should Ludhiana suffer more delays?" Dhiman said, noting the project has been almost a decade in the making.

Sham Sunder Malhotra of the Congress echoed the sentiment. "This project is being politicised. Let the public start using the bridge immediately. MLA Bagga had a rickshaw-puller lay the foundation stone — why not let people benefit now without formalities?"

The original bridge, built before Independence, had deteriorated significantly by 2010. After engineers from Guru Nanak Engineering College declared it unsafe, it was shut down in phases until closed to traffic, finally. Rebuilding was stalled for years due to financial constraints and lack of bidder interest. The public works department (PWD) took over eventually, but even under the AAP govt, completion deadlines slipped multiple times — most recently from March to April. Now complete, the new bridge remains unused, awaiting a ribbon-cutting that has again been deferred.

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