In underdeveloped Gurdaspur, Covid commingles with bureaucratic delays

Ravi Dhaliwal

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Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, July 28

The border district of Gurdaspur is a site of delays. And the outbreak has only allowed the authorities to thrust excuses which has culminated to putting on hold all major development initiatives in the area.

Factor this in, three years ago, during the Independence Day celebrations held at the government college stadium here, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had announced the construction of a medical college. But not even a single brick has been laid till date. The construction becomes more far-fetched when one comes to know that even the land has not been earmarked, for what residents say was to be one of most prestigious projects in recent times.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ishfaq said the file was lying with the Union Government. “The final approval has to be given by the Medical Council of India (MCI). We have given them maps of two sites. A final decision is still awaited,” he said.

However, an insider said that it will be a long time before things are finalised. “A clear picture will emerge only after Covid-19 is officially done away with,” he said.

This is not the only project on which a ‘final decision’ is awaited. Verdicts are yet to be pronounced on shifting of the old bus stand to a new address on the outskirts of the city and the construction of an underpass on the Tibri road railway crossing.

The bus stand has outlived its utility and direly needs to be shifted to the city’s periphery. The new one’s foundation stone was laid eight years ago by the then Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. And the decision to relocate it to a site where a religious structure has been in place for the last several years reeks of unregulated urban growth planning. Again, an official said the file was lying with the local bodies department and “a decision will be taken only after the virus is tamed.”

Moreover, there were talks regarding the establishment of a multi-storied parking lot at the Nehru park, apparently to decongest the inner city. This venture, too, has been duly cremated and buried quietly. “For some reason, it did not suit the political class. Hence, it has died a natural death,” said an officer.

The officials had hoped the Kartarpur corridor in Dera Baba Nanak would act as a catalyst for all-round development. However, the project never caught the fancy of people. “The mega-project was to usher in several minor ventures. However, the corridor, for an assortment of reasons, did not have many takers. And with it the proposed development schemes, too, withered away,” said an officer.

Despite the stumbling blocks, pessimism has not overtaken optimism. Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa is looking to spearhead the act. “I myself will approach the CM to ensure each and every project sees the light of day,” said the cabinet minister.