Education, sanitation take a back seat at Kaimbwala village

Ishrat S Banwait

Chandigarh, July 21

Kaimbwala village is located just behind Sukhna Lake and spread on 899 acres with a population of over 9,000. The village that was chosen by Doordarshan for filming the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has no functional public toilet. The existing one has been locked for years, while the land of the other was converted into a dharamshala after demolishing it.

The dharmashala itself is on a small piece of land covered by an aluminium shed. It was constructed through efforts of the villagers. While there is another dharamshala in the village, no community centre or park exists there.

Government Senior Secondary School in the village had a record low pass percentage in Class XII this year with only 5.88 per cent of the students clearing the exam. The residents claimed that the reason behind this was a shortage of teachers at the school. The school also lacks enough space, which can be solved with the construction of a new building.

RS Brar, Director, Public Instructions, Schools, said a showcause notice had been served on the school for its dismal performance in the Class XII exams.

“Remedial classes have been started for students, but there is no shortage of staff in the school,” he said.

The construction of an adjacent school building was halted mid-way after orders of the High Court. While the entire village falls under the catchment area, the construction activities are in full swing in various parts of the village.

Village residents said it was unfair if children suffered at the school for want of enough space. A total of six acres was to be given for the school building and a stadium. The school was to be constructed in two acres and the rest four acres were allotted for the stadium.

Moreover, there is no post office at the village and the residents go to Naya Gaon to avail the postal services. The village falls under the jurisdiction of the Sector 3 police station and has no police station or beat box. The residents are also facing problems due to the blockage of sewage in the village. Sarpanch Nita Rani said the sewer lines were old and needed replacement as the population of the village had increased manifold. Waterlogging is another problem here. The villagers regretted the lack of a proper drainage system in the village.

Around 50 acres of the agricultural land is lying barren in the village due to water shortage. The panchayat says the demand for an irrigation tubewell was lying pending with the authorities since March. This tubewell will make farming possible on the land.

Though the village is quite happy with the Panchayati Raj, some residents say they won’t mind inclusion in the MC limits if it could solve the catchment area issue.

VILLAGERSPEAK

Replace sewer pipes

The replacement of sewer pipes is needed at the earliest. The authorities give assurances but don’t get the work done. The school building should be completed as soon as possible so that education of our children does not suffer. — Nita Rani, sarpanch 

Check waterlogging

A better drainage system is needed as water accumulates in monsoon, resulting in waterlogging. The government school is understaffed, which is the cause of its poor show in exams. — Narinder Singh, ex-sarpanch 

Stop contamination of water

Sewer water gets mixed with drinking water due to old pipes. These pipes should be repaired at the earliest. — Swaran 

Change location of power line

A high tension power line passes over 10 houses in the village. A request for changing its location has fallen on deaf ears since 2012. — Shri Ram

Vital Stats

Area  899 acres

Population  9,000

Outside MC limits 

What ails

• Public toilets
• Drainage system
• School facilities

What is needed

• Post office
• Police station
• Replacement of sewer pipes