Tarn Taran diary: Encroachment drive left mid-way

Growing encroachments in Tarn Taran town have become a headache for the people as well as the authorities as it was creating trouble in the smooth flow of traffic with accidents occurring every day. The encroachments have gone from bad to worse in the last couple of years but the administration is yet to think of its solution sincerely. The main road of the town has been much affected as countless vehicles like the auto-rickshaws, e-rickshaws, cars, cycle-rickshaws etc. can be seen parked right up to the middle of the main road. The rehris and farehis too can be seen parked on both side of the roads. The markets, including Tehsil Bazar, Adda Bazar, Guru Bazar, Guard Bazar, Noordi Bazar and others, too are no exception. Some parts of the bazars were encroached upon by the shopkeepers and others by the rehris etc. It was becoming tough for the ware peddlers to move freely. On the Jandiala road, where every day traffic jam is observed for a long duration as the railway crossing (fatak) is closed when trains cross. This crossing remains closed sometimes for more than half an hour and six to seven times a day disturbing normal traffic in the town often. Chaunk Bohri is the point where the protesters stage dharna frequently. This too becomes a problem for the traffic. About four months back, the Municipal Council led by the SDM-cum-Administrator of the Council, launched a serious move to remove encroachments and appealed to the shopkeepers. The appeal received a warm response but the move was abandoned mid-way which made the situation more critical. The sorrow state of affair is such that this town with a population of more than one lakh did not have even a single parking spot. The administration had not allotted sites to park three-wheelers, autos etc. and people parked their vehicles on the roadsides. The stray animals too make the situation chaotic. A solution to the traffic woes on Jandiala road may help improve the situation to some extent.

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Water supply system lying defunct

The residents of the border area in the district have remained deprived of potable water facility for the last many years. The area is called ‘Khara Majha’ as the groundwater is salty and not fit for drinking. The water is not fit even for irrigation. It is the area where the residents were provided potable water through tanks with deep bore which is evident even today as at certain points they continue to exist. With residents of villages raising a demand, a water supply system was installed but in many villages the system collapsed and has not been restored after that. Water supply has not been restored in the border township of Khemkaran and Dall village for the last 18 years. The residents of Poonia village were without water for the last 25 years and that of Marri Nauabad for the last 14 years. The condition is similar in Maniala, Mughal Chack and other places. The state government and the local administration have perhaps forgotten to restore water supply for these villages.

(Contributed by Gurbaxpuri)