Roads in UT villages in dire straits for want of funds

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 23

Roads in nine villages, which were already under the Municipal Corporation limits, are in dire straits for want of funds even as the civic body has further got the remaining 13 villages from the UT Administration with no budget available for these.

In a random check, it was found that roads in these villages badly need recarpeting and repair work. Kishangarh, Raipur Khurd, Raipur Kalan and Makhan Majra are among the villages which have the worst roads. The situation is so bad in some areas that residents avoid taking their vehicles out, terming the roads non-motorable.

Some roads appear like these have never been recarpeted, especially the ones at Hallo Majra, Daria, Dadu Majra and Attawa villages. “Recarpeting work was last carried out in the nine villages around 2011. People feel harassed and cheated. In some villages, paver blocks are being laid, while roads are in a pitiable state,” said councillor Satish Kainth, in whose ward Palsora village falls.

“To top it all, the Administration merged the remaining 13 villages with the civic body. The MC does not have the funds to carry road repair work. The new villages should have been merged only when there was sanctioned budget for such works. Earlier, at least panchayats used to do some work from their available funds, but now the villagers have nowhere to go — neither the MC nor the Administraton. The authorities promised to make these villages modern, but how is that possible without any plan or budget. The MP and the Mayor should wake up and do something about it,” said the Congress councillor.

“Some UT villages are worse than the villages of other towns. During rain, water gets accumulated in big potholes and let alone driving vehicles, one cannot even walk,” said Manoj Lubana, a young political leader from Kishangarh village.

Hardeep Singh, Senior Deputy Mayor and SAD-BJP councillor, under whose area Butrela, Badheri and Attawa villages fall, said, “Roads in the previously existing nine villages are in a good condition. Only those roads, which  have been dug up for the ongoing water and sewerage work, are problematic. The concern is that an amount of Rs 25 crore sanctioned for the development of these villages by the Administration is being diverted to other areas by the MC. At several places, contractors have left the work midway for not having received payment from the corporation. The works need to be properly monitored by the officials concerned.”       

“There is a need to get a special grant for new villages. Estimates are being made in this regard,” he added.

UT has 22 villages

While nine villages were already under the MC limits — Butrela, Badheri, Attawa, Palsora, Maloya, Dadu Majra, Burail, Kajheri and Hallo Majra — 13 villages were merged in 2018. The panchayat system in Chandigarh came to an end on December 1, 2018, as the UT Administration issued a notification for the merger of all 13 villages, which fall under its jurisdiction, with the corporation. These were Kishangarh, Mauli Jagran, Daria, Raipur Kalan, Makhan Majra, Behlana, Raipur Khurd, Dhanas, Sarangpur, Khuda Alisher, Khuda Jassu, Khuda Lahora and Kaimbwala. The move was aimed at bringing uniformity in the development and governance of the villages. The Administration had received about 600 objections and suggestions on the draft notification issued for the merger. 

Have sought Rs 60 Crore, says Mayor 

• City Mayor Rajesh Kalia said he had written to the UT Administration to grant Rs 60 crore for development of all 22 villages.     
• “In a zonal survey, it was found only 20 per cent roads are not fine in the entire city. As far as villages are concerned, we have requested the Administration to give a grant of Rs 60 crore for the development,” he said.