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State of cities and towns: Kotkapura

Staff on warpath; civic amenities a mess in town

KOTKAPURA: This town of Faridkot district, which once used to have one of the biggest cotton markets of Asia, is now financially so impoverished that its civic body is unable to pay salaries to its employees for months together.

Staff on warpath; civic amenities a mess in town

Traffic congestion is a routine feature due to the town’s location. Vehicles to Ludhiana, Bathinda, Amritsar and Rajasthan pass through Kotkapura. Tribune photo



Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Kotkapura, December 22

This town of Faridkot district, which once used to have one of the biggest cotton markets of Asia, is now financially so impoverished that its civic body is unable to pay salaries to its employees for months together.

As many as 198 “safai karamcharis” keep holding strikes to demand their dues. To show their resentment, many a times they dump heaps of garbage and carcasses of animals in front of officials’ offices.

Many municipal committee (MC) employees have approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which has directed the authorities to stop expenditure on development works and fuel for official vehicles until the arrears of the staff is paid. Due to this, there hasn’t been any ‘discernable’ development in the town in the last one decade.

The “Clean India” campaign has failed to have any effect on Kotkapura, with heaps of garbage making it an eyesore.

Finances

The poor fiscal condition of Kotkapura can be gauged from the fact that some time ago, the MC had raised Rs 6 crore as loan from the Amritsar Improvement Trust to pay the arrears of its retired staff after the latter approached the High Court. Now, the MC is facing a tough time paying Rs 33 lakh as monthly installment of this loan.

“The oil octroi was the main source of our income. After the closure of bulk oil depots in Kotkapura (which were shifted to Bathinda six years ago), we are facing a financial crisis,” said a senior official of the MC. “We are waiting for funds from the state government,” he added.

Earlier, the Kotkapura MC was earning over Rs 250 lakh as octroi every year from the bulk depots of Hindustan Petroleum, IBP, Indian Oil and other oil companies.

There has been about 10-per cent increase in Kotkapura’s population in the last decade but there has been a steep fall in the MC’s income in the corresponding time.

Income/expenditure

In 2011-12, the MC’s income from diesel and petrol octroi was Rs 59.49 lakh, it plummeted to Rs 12.43 lakh in 2012-13. Due to a poor supply of drinking water, the MC’s collection of water charges too has decreased from Rs 24.61 lakh to Rs 23.16 lakh in the last one year. Similar is the scenario with collection of sewerage charges, which fell from Rs 8.14 lakh to Rs 6.20 lakh.

The MC has only one way to collect funds, i.e sale of its properties. The cash-strapped MC collected Rs 1.08 crore by selling its property this year. Last year, collection from sale of property was Rs 62.36 lakh.

Having the total income at Rs 11.09 crore, the MC cannot spare money for staff’s salaries, leave alone development works.

The MC is unable to repair its three fire tenders, which have been lying dumped for a long time.

Some time ago, the MC had demanded funds from the district administration to get the fire tenders repaired, but to no avail. With the addition of a new fire tender, it has added to the MC’s financial problem.

“How will the MC operate another machine when it’s not in a position to maintain the three machines it already has? The sorry state of affairs can be gauged from the MC’s inability to buy fuel for the fire tenders. We need high-tech equipment to deal with fire incidents,” a senior official in the Kotkapura MC, requesting anonymity, said.

Traffic congestion

The town’s positioning is such that routes to Ludhiana, Bathinda, Amritsar and Rajasthan pass through it. Kotkapura, in this region, provides maximum passage to heavy and light vehicles, leading to heavy congestion of traffic in the heart of the city. To regulate this heavy rush of traffic, the MC had installed traffic signals but there were no funds for their supervision and maintenance, due to which these are lying defunct for the last over three years. Besides. potholes on the Muktsar and Jaitu roads create hurdles in the smooth flow of traffic.

Sources said bus operators further added to the problem as policemen were hesitant about questioning the “politically-backed” bus transporters. “Buses stopping on the Muktsar road choke the flow of traffic. Potholes on the road work as speed-breakers, due to which vehicles move at a snail’s pace here,” said a local resident.

Bhushan Kumar Mittal, former senior vice-president of MC, said the fund-starved MC was unable to put things on the right track.

Stray animals

Accidents due to stray animals on roads are very common on the roads here. “None of the roads in the city is safe as stray animals are roaming everywhere,” said Tarsem Lohia, a resident. The problem is acute during night and on foggy days.

Political landscape

For the last 20 years, residents in Kotkapura have complained of being “politically” orphan.

The town has always elected MLA of the party which is in the Opposition in Punjab Assembly, so residents say they have to face a step-motherly treatment from the ruling government.

It is for the first time that the elected MLA is of the ruling SAD but residents alleged that he too had failed to fulfil the promises. With his political influence, Kotkapura MLA Mantar Brar got his sister elected as the MC president but it failed to improve Kotkapura’s situation. The BJP, SAD and the Congress, are politically equally placed in Kotkapura.

MC finances

Income: Rs 11.09 crore
Salary expenses: Rs 10.80 crore
Power bills: Rs 2.78 crore
Miscellaneous expenses: Rs 1.20 crore

Fact file

Number of wards: 23
Total population: 95,613
Number of voters: 61,322
Male voters: 32,494
Female voters: 28,828
Gender ratio: 851/1,000
Population covered under drinking and sewer facility: 53%

Health

Civil Hospital and 11 private hospitals
Annual intake of indoor patients: 3,912
Annual intake of outdoor patients: 46,250

Education

Government schools: 16
Private and aided schools in town: 13
No. of students in these schools: 23, 494

Unkept promises

Promise related to sewerage facility remains unfulfilled
Sewage treatment plant project is hanging fire for 5 years
Not even a single road has been repaired in the last 10 years as the promised funds never reached
Protests to seek regulation of traffic in Kotkapura have failed to elicit any response from the authorities

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