‘Political interference in policing and administration has bothered me’

Manmeet Singh Gill

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 20

One of the most successful entrepreneurs of the city, Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, who was declared as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from Amritsar South constituency recently, feels that the ‘system’ is not working properly and it needs to be changed. Dr Nijjar has been associated with the AAP movement from the very beginning. Professionally, he runs a diagnostic centre in the region.

While talking about his transformation from an entrepreneur to a politician, in an interview with The Tribune, he said political interference in policing and administration bothered him. “It troubles me when an honest police officer is manhandled and abused by political goons just because he dares to issue a challan to a politician’s child indulging in under-age driving. I strongly feel that this system needs to be changed. I have not joined politics just for the sake of politics. It is indeed worrisome when bureaucrats instead of serving people serve politicians.”

Now, you are a party candidate. You have started visiting people to canvass for your election. What do you feel are their expectations?

It pains me when almost seven decades after the Independence, people still assure to vote for you if you promise them paved streets. This particular expectation reflects indifference with which our politicians have treated the people. Instead, they should be questioning politicians about failure in bettering health and education facilities. But, as their basic needs have not been fulfilled, the people forget to ask for better health and education facilities. Health and education should be top priorities for voters and politicians.

You have long been associated with medical profession. What do think are problems of our health sector?

The budget allocation for health is too low. My mother fell ill recently. I preferred to get her admitted to a private hospital. And this is despite the fact that I pay huge amount as income tax. People are paying taxes, but they feel that they are not getting anything from the government in return. They have no faith in government rendered health facilities and they are right.

Our country loses six per cent of its GDP just because we have not been able to check basic medical issues such as diarrhoea, loose motions and other such common diseases associated with lack of hygiene.

The state government merely allocates one to two per cent of its budget on health. The per capita per family expenditure in a private hospital in Punjab is around Rs 29,000. It is a huge expense incurred by the people for management of health issues. The people are falling in debt traps due to huge financial expenses. The government needs to prioritise health.

And what lacks in the education system?

The will to educate masses is lacking. Politicians are not interested. Educated people will not serve in their interests. Government schools have better buildings, more qualified teachers and better salaries, but still when it comes to results, students of private schools, which have less qualified teachers, who often are exploited by managements, perform better. The administration should leave teachers to their profession. The state government has not set up new any higher education institutions. The government in Delhi has allocated 23 per cent of its budget to education. We should do the same here.

Recently, Gyan Ashram School in the city was shut just because it was located on prime land and a few people had eyes on it. We will have to stop all this.

The city has recently witnessed beautification of passage to the Golden Temple. War memorial and Sada Pind have also been inaugurated. How will these projects serve people?

The government has spent crores on such projects, but no provision has been made for public urinals and toilets in market places. Streets near Dharam Singh Market and inside parking smell of urine as there are not enough urinals.

I personally feel that more stress should be on creating hygienic passages even if they are less beautiful. Women in markets do not find a washroom. The people should get better basic amenities.

Sultanwind village in the city has not got sewerage facility till now. The government should identify all such areas which have been neglected. We need better facilities for the people before we need museums.

As you are contesting from Amritsar South constituency what do you think are the area specific problems of the people?

The biggest problem is solid waste management plant. The very idea of creating such a plant in the heart of the city is illogical. Astonishingly, the waste from nearby towns, including Ajnala, Patti and Tarn Taran, will be processed in this plant. Now, who transports waste from outside to the city. It will create health hazard for nearby residents. Besides, trucks carrying garabage into the city will lead to frequent traffic snarls.

Outside my constituency, the government has created a cluster for dairy farms near Fatahpur village. But, no veterinary clinic has been set up. There is no system to dispose of animal waste. I feel that government should apply some logic before implementing any project.

The rising pollution in the city has already started affecting people’s health. Are there any practical and simple solutions to tackle it?

The area along Chattiwind canal from Vallah to Chattiwind could be used to create a walking passage for joggers. It should be natural path and please, nobody should instal interlocking tiles there.

Further, the people can use plant vines in case they have shortage of space for planting trees. The green cover is essential for the city. Unfortunately, it has been reduced to widen roads. We should also plant more indigenous varieties of trees on roads instead of exotic and costly plants as the ultimate objective is clean air.