Harsimrat’s tour to villages ends, but problems persist

Gurdeep Singh Mann

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 22

The four-day tour of MP and Union Minister for Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal to villages of Bathinda and Mansa district concluded today but many villagers said their problems remained unsolved.

Apart from visiting villages of Bathinda in Bhucho, Sangat and Nathana blocks, the MP also visited villages of Mansa and Budhlada where she held Sangat Darshan programs. Problems such as lack of potable water, irrigation water, pot-holed roads, civil and criminal cases, personal issues, matrimonial disputes, unprecedented delay in pension scheme for elderly and fly ash emitted by a distillery were brought to her notice.

Villagers said there was hardly any on-the-spot order passed by Harsimrat which practically solved their problem.“We raised the issue of fly ash, the MP said she will look into it. When a girl from Blahar Mehma village accused an Akali leader of harassment, the MP directed the police to look into it,” said a villager, Swaran Singh. He said, however, the on-the-spot instructions given to government servants hardly changed at the ground level.

“A JE was told to face suspension or provide drinking water to villages within two days in Goniana,” said Baltej Singh, adding that the situation remains the same.

In the case of alleged harassment of girl, the police said a case had already been registered, the accused were out on bail and they had “hardly anything to do” in the matter. In the case of water supply, the authorities made excuses from leakage in water pipes, lack of funds and manpower for the proper implementation of MP’s orders.

An 80-year-old woman of Jawarke village was paid Rs 500 by SAD workers during the MP’s Sangat Darshan in Mansa, allegedly to get rid of her. Earlier, she was complaining about the delay in getting her old-age pension. She was arguing with policemen and even went close to Harsimrat to raise the issue.