Pedestrian airport, Sahnewal stays grounded

Gurvinder Singh

Famously known as the birthplace of Bollywood icon Dharmendra, Sahnewal has nothing else to write home about. At best, there is a nondescript airport that badly needs to be upgraded. This constituency, which witnessed its first election in 2012, is struggling on the development front — despite being represented by Cabinet minister Sharanjit Singh Dhillon.

With the Akalis again picking Dhillon, his performance is under scrutiny. “He did make efforts to initiate development works, but these were sporadic and lacking in focus,” says Kartar Singh, a shop owner. The conversation is disrupted by the honking of horns as the road beside his shop starts getting jampacked with vehicles. "The railway overbridge was supposed to resolve traffic issues, but it has little space to spare on both sides. The faulty construction has impacted the main market of the town,” he says.

The streets were paved with tiles, much to the delight of the residents, but these have been dug up for laying sewerage pipes. “Once the code of conduct is announced, this work will get suspended,” says Kartar. “But something is better than nothing,” argues Ranjit Singh, a farmer. “Was any work done here earlier?” he asks. Point, counterpoint taken.

We move on to a group of youths waiting for a bus. As the roar of an airplane is heard, Ravi, a college-going student, says, “Some business tycoon must have come here on a chartered flight. Despite the Ludhiana industrialists’ long-pending demand for air connectivity, regular flights have not been started from the airport.” 

Gurpreet, an MA student, says the Akalis could have easily pursued the matter with the BJP-led NDA Government. “A fully operational airport would have brought about development in the area. But their focus is only on Bathinda, for obvious reasons,” he quips. Puneet, another youngster, looks at the bright side: “But the focal point and the cycle valley coming up at Dhanansu village might create jobs.”

The existing infrastructure is in a state of neglect. Staff crunch plagues the Community Health Centre (CHC). "The centre caters to over 7 lakh people in the area, but it has just skeletal staff,” says Satnam Singh, a local resident. “The government’s focus is on populist measures rather than strengthening the health and education sectors. There are just two colleges in the constituency. Secondary schools are few and far between,” he adds.

Ram Kumar, a migrant residing in Mundian, feels let down by the not-so-Progressive Punjab. “We came to this so-called prosperous state in search of jobs. But the industry is dying here and the amenities are missing,” he says, adding that even a road could not be built in the area during the past 10 years — despite repeated promises — and work has started only now, as the elections are nearing.

“Maybe AAP should be given a chance this time,” says Sunil Kumar, another migrant. “But they are new. They will need time to know how to do things and run the government,” he observes, pointing towards a poster of AAP candidate Harjot Singh Bains, whose name was announced in the first list in August.

Illegal sand mining is a major issue in the villages of the ‘bet’ area near the Sutlej. “Several FIRs have been registered in the past few years, but only ‘innocent’ villagers are targeted. Those enjoying political clout are let off,” says Harbans Singh of Dheri village.

“Politicians themselves allow the sand-laden trolleys to ply only, provided they get their ‘hissa’ (cut). If their pockets are full, they look the other way. They are also not doing anything to curb drug menace and unemployment,” says another elderly man, Bachittar Singh.

A section of the villagers feels that the Congress stands to gain from anti-incumbency. “But the party should not delay ticket allotment. There are several contenders in the fray from Sahnewal, each claiming to be enjoying the confidence of the high command,” they say. In the 2012 Assembly poll, there was opposition to the candidature of former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal’s son-in-law Vikram Singh Bajwa, but the party persisted with him. He lost to Dhillon by over 21,000 votes.

Sahnewal, which has over 2.1 lakh voters spread across 35 colonies and 155 villages, is part of Fatehgarh Sahib parliamentary constituency, represented by AAP’s Harinder Singh Khalsa. His suspension was a dampener for the local people who had supported him. “We campaigned for Khalsa during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, but things took an unexpected twist,” says Paramdeep Singh, a trader. “But this is a fresh battle and anything is possible,” he adds, referring to Bains, the AAP nominee who has been campaigning for the past three months. The party’s youth wing chief has got a headstart, but the field is indeed wide open, just like the town’s Guru Gobind Singh Marg.