What happened
Ludhiana — a city of 35 lakh people, Punjab's financial engine, and a former Smart City Mission beneficiary that already burned through ₹935 crore with little to show for it — launched an ambitious two-part sanitation plan: ₹1,400 crore for integrated solid waste management (door-to-door collection, segregation, processing) and ₹150 crore for mechanised sweeping of 3,197 km of roads. The tender went out. Zero bids. They refloated it. Zero bids again. The Municipal Corporation extended the deadline to April 17 for a third attempt, expressing 'hope' that qualified bidders would materialise. The projects involve 'large-scale operations and long-term commitments,' officials noted, apparently unaware that this description applies to every infrastructure contract ever. Meanwhile, 6,000 existing sanitation workers continue to reign over what The Tribune diplomatically called 'stinky' Ludhiana.