Tourism project remains a non-starter

Residents are sore that no attempts are being made either by the Central or Punjab government in developing the twin islands of Kalara and Mushraba, located in the scenic Ranjit Sagar Dam lake. They claim the sagging economy of the once throbbing city can be revived if water sports is started in the lake. 

Residents have a point here. Three years ago, the then Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal played host to the executives of top corporate houses of the hospitality sector to explore the possibilities of converting the lake into a tourist hub on the lines of the ones developed in Malaysia, Singapore and other Western countries. Those who flew in were Kapil Chopra, president of the Oberoi group and Arun Pathak, executive vice-president of the ITC Hotels. The then BJP MP Vinod Khanna, whose brother is a member of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), also took keen interest in developing the area.

Kalara, which is a naturally formed island in the 14 sq km Ranjit Sagar Dam lake, is spread over 17 acres while Musharba has an area of 2.35 acres.

For some inexplicable reasons, a veil of secrecy had always surrounded the visit of the entrepreneurs. However, there were talks that the lake was being developed into a tourist hub, but nothing happened. Sensing that they would require numerous clearances, including those pertaining to pollution, which would have been time consuming, the honchos put their plans on hold. The project, say insiders, has now been scrapped.

Residents feel that if the project is revived by the Punjab government, hundreds of youth can get gainful employment. But there is nobody to guide them on how to make a start.

GST, a bitter pill for chemists

Pathankot chemists are still struggling to adapt to a complex GST structure put up by the government for medicines. Pathankot District Chemists Association (PDCA), in various meetings with the authorities, has urged them to simplify the structure.

PDCA president Rakesh Mahajan said the complex rules pertaining to adjustments of medicines with expiry date and breakages which occur during the transportation, needed to be simplified. He claimed that GST returns have to be filed online and require technical expertise which means a huge amount has to be shelled out to chartered accountants to maintain the record books.

In the recent meeting of the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) at Agra, held under the chairmanship of national president, JS Shinde, the chemists discussed problems accruing from the new tax regimen. However, no solution has yet been found, Mahajan added.

Caught in traffic jam

Pathankot is a town infamous for its traffic jams. Traffic remains clogged for hours altogether near the bus stand on the Gurdaspur-Pathankot road. To add to the congestion, all the seven railway crossings shut down at least a dozen times every day to let go the Joginder Nagar-Pathankot narrow gauge train, also known as the 'toy train.' This adds to traffic chaos in the city. 

Officials claim that except for elevating the portion of the rail track, there is no other option. Railways say this is a Rs 150 crore solution which is the last thing on the mind of the cash-strapped railways. Residents say the least the Municipal Corporation (MC) and the administration can do is to remove the illegal encroachments to ensure the smooth flow of traffic. 

However, this also seems to improbable as the Municipal Corporation is dominated by the BJP and most of the encroachments have been done by the BJP workers. It means that the encroachments are here to stay. After all, this is their vote bank and that too, a committed one.