Low water pressure, sanitation key problem areas

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 8

Low pressure water supply, poor sanitation, lack of space for parking of vehicles and ill-maintained green belts are the problem areas in Ward No. 7 consisting of Maloya village and Maloya Colony.

The ward is being represented by former Mayor and Congress councillor Poonam Sharma.

Residents of the ward complain of poor maintainence of green belts and heaps of garbage on the entrance to Maloya.

Residents even said condition of roads, especially the Phirni road, was not good and there was no space for parking of vehicles in the market and other areas.

Satish Kumar, a resident, said condition of sanitation was poor in the ward. Besides, the water supply was the major problem for the residents of the ward.

Madan Pal, a resident of Maloya Colony, said there was no development in Maloya Colony. The focus area of the area councillor was only village.

The colony was completely neglected by the councillor, he said.

Byelections in 2012

Congress candidate Poonam Sharma had defeated her rival Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Seema Yadav by 571 votes in the byelections in 2012. Earlier in 2011 MC elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won the seat with a big margin of 1,285 votes and in the by-elections it came down and settled on the third position. Out of the total polled 10,742 votes, Congress candidate Poonam Sharma had received 4,044 votes. BSP candidate Seema Yadav had got the second position by getting 3,473 votes and BJP candidate Bindu Rana managed to get only 3,089 votes.

Results of 2011 MC elections

In December 2011, the same seat was won by BJP councillor Laxmi Devi, who secured 3,940 votes while the Congress candidate had got 2,655 votes. Later, after five months, BJP councillor Laxmi Devi died in a road accident and due to that byelection to the seat was held in September 2012.

What they have to say 

I have fulfilled a majority of the promises made during the election campaign. I am always ready to help residents of the ward. I help residents not only in works related with the MC, but also in works of other departments like health, UT Administration and Police. In the days to come, I will try to start the work of an e-sampark centre, a 50-bed hospital and an 8-acre green belt in Maloya village, which is now stuck in litigation. —Poonam Sharma, area councillor 

There is nothing in the name of development which the area councillor can take credit for. Maloya is the only ward where there is not even a single proper green belt where elderly people can walk. It seems Maloya is not part of the City Beautiful. The area councillor has done nothing. —Rahul Dwivedi, BJP mandal president, Ward No. 7