In absence of roads, Hoshiarpur villagers wade through brook

Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi

Hoshiarpur, March 5

Spread over 14 or 15 km in the hilly terrain of Kandi area, Kookanet village still has no road connectivity. In the absence of a road, a khadd (shallow water channel) serves as the lifeline for villagers. Though bus service is there, it picks and drops people at a point far away from the village and people are forced to cover the rest of the distance on foot, wading through the khadd that remains submerged throughout the year.

Gurbachan Singh, president of the Village Welfare Society, says, “A private mini bus operates in the area, covering Hariana town and lower parts of Kookanet area. After Residents of upper areas have to deboard the bus and walk for several kilometres. They, at times, get complimentary rides on tractor-trolleys, but in case they don’t, there’s is no way other than traversing the water channel. Students face it everyday. During rainy days, the lone government school in the area becomes inaccessible. Monsoon makes us confined to our houses for days, giving a feeling as if we are residing on an island, waiting for the water level to lower down in khadd.”

According to Gurbachan, people have been demanding a pucca road for years, but to no avail. “During elections, leaders hesitate to pay a visit to us. If they do, we raise this issue and they reply every time that it will be done on a priority basis, but nothing has been done so far,” he adds.

Satpal, village Sarpanch, says people are facing the problem and efforts are being made to solve the issue. “It will take time. We have made a path of around 900 metres. We are trying to extend it further to improve connectivity. It is difficult to cover the whole area as houses are scattered over 14-15 km of area, that too in tough hilly terrain. We have hopes from the upcoming government. Let’s see what happens,” he adds.