Khasa-Bakna Kallan road in bad shape, commuters suffer

Manmeet Singh Gill

Amritsar, April 6

Residents of dozens of villages in the border belt are perturbed over the poor condition of the Khasa-Bakna Kallan road as it has developed numerous potholes over the past few years. Residents complain that even local representatives of the government have not paid attention to this problem over the years.

“Perhaps they (government functionaries) live in the city and usually use highways. But the residents of over 40 villages living in nearby areas are dependent on the road to reach city hospitals in an emergency. The condition of the road is such that it takes almost half an hour from Bakna to reach Khasa,” said Satnam Singh, a resident.

As rural areas of the border belt do not have big hospitals, private and government, most residents are forced to reach the city to get good medical consultation. Residents complain that at places the entire top layer of the road has worn off and people have to drive on loose pebbles.

The condition of the road starting from Khasa is poor, it worsens as one crosses Chak Mukand. The worst part of the road comes when one is about to enter the gate to Bakna village. “Historically, Bakna is an important village as freedom fighter Baba Sohan Singh Bakna belonged to the village. However, successive governments have failed to provide a worthy road to the village,” rues Sukhdev Singh, another resident.

The road does not end at Bakna Kalan and connects Sarai Amanant Khan and the villages beyond it with the city. Large numbers of people serving in various government departments use the road daily to reach their places of work. Commuters say that driving on the road has become an onerous and troublesome affair with the driver being forced to frequently change gears to avoid potholes.