Lack of railway under bridge, illegal slum worry residents in this area
Rachna Khaira
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, March 22
Nothing is worse than life spent around filthy railway tracks and no one in the city knows this better than the residents of Ward No. 15, where a majority of the people are forced to spend their lives adjoining railway tracks amongst huge filth and traffic chaos.
Level crossings, no RUBs
Though the railway tracks existed ages before the Independence, the railways authorities and the Municipal Corporation here failed to construct a railway under bridge (RUB) over it. The ward has five railway crossings, including two manned and three unmanned ones, posing a serious threat to children playing around the tracks.
Also, the railway tracks are not fenced anywhere and residents of nearby mohallas can be seen openly crossing the tracks from wherever they find their way. According to Congress leader Manmohan Singh, his party leaders had forwarded a proposal to the Ministry of Railways to construct an RUB at the Guru Nanak Pura crossing, but the Municipal Corporation has failed to take up the matter with the railways authorities till date.
Broken roads, electric poles
A majority of the roads in various mohallas are beyond repair. The condition is worse in the Bashir Pura area, where big potholes are a major cause of concern for the local commuters. While the width of the road is not more than 10 to 15 feet, heavy traffic, including school buses and trucks carrying construction material, can be seen plying on these roads, causing a massive traffic jam and also damaging the roads beyond repair.
The worst affected roads are Bharat Nagar road, Kamal Vihar road, Thakur Colony and Basher Pura road. Also at some places, exposing the lackadaisical attitude of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and the MC, electric poles were found to have been installed in the middle of roads. The approach road to the Thakur Colony road has almost five poles in a stretch of around 200 m only, casing a lot of inconvenience to local commuters.
According to Neha Sharma, a resident of Kamal Vihar, there is an urgent need to install road guards at the entry points of each road less than 20 feet wide. “We cannot even get out of our houses during afternoon due to heavy rush of school buses and four-wheelers in front of our houses.”
Borrowed street-lights
There is something unique about the street-lights installed at Guru Nanak Pura. No one matches the other and every light has an independent switch. According to Sohan Lal, a 76-year-old resident, “The lights being very old, these almost remain non-functional,” said Lal. “So many times, there were serious accidents during night as two-wheeler riders fail to see huge potholes in the middle of roads due to darkness,” added Lal.
No public toilets, water point in markets
Although the area boasts of around four major markets in Guru Nanak Pura (W), Bharat Nagar, Chuggitti and Bashirpura, none of them have any public facility like toilets and common water point. Along with shoppers, the shopkeepers too are having a harrowing time as they have to pee in the open in broad daylight. According to Joginder Singh, a shop keeper, despite repeated requests, the MC has failed to provide any respite to the shopkeepers.
No water, sewerage connection in Kamal Vihar
Though the area belongs to BJP councillor Manjinder Singh Chattha, the BJP-led MC has failed to even provide basic amenities like water supply and sewerage connection in some areas of Kamal Vihar. Though residents in a part of the colony near the railway crossing had shifted here almost three years ago, the MC did not lay water supply and sewerage connections around 200 houses till date. Even in this era, they are forced to live in inhumane conditions where they are forced to dispose of their sewerage and used water in open plots near their houses.
Though many have even taken water and sewerage connections illegally from a nearby school, the school authorities are ignorant about the theft. During heavy rain, sewerage starts floating in stagnant water.
According to Kesh Kumari, a resident despite informing the corporation authorities, we are forced to survive on illegal water connection from nearby plots and schools. If they would come to know about it, we would be in deep trouble,” said Kumari.
Illegal slum area of migrants
Though the ward does not have any garbage dump, an illegal slum area of rag pickers has come up in the Thakur Nagar Area. According to Manmohan Singh, a local Congress representative, the slums dwellers, around 200 in number, are Bangladeshi migrants and do not even have an identity proof. Singh said since the establishing of this illegal slum area, the crime rate in the ward had gone up.
Councillorspeak
Though we are aware of problems in the area, we are unable to take up any development work due to the shortage of funds with the MC. However, we are going to float a proposal of development work worth Rs 9 lakh in the forthcoming finance meeting scheduled to be held on March 23 and are hopeful of providing respite to local residents.
Officialspeak
“I am aware of problems of the area, but soon the situation will begin to improve in the area. We have collected Rs 12 crore from property tax which we are going to spend on the development work only. However, I was shocked to hear about the illegal slum that has come up on the vacant plot and I am going to take up the matter with the police authorities and the local councillor as well.”
Residents’ woes
“Living in hell would be better than living here. Though we had shifted here almost three years, till date there is no sewerage and water supply in the area. Despite requesting the MC authorities so many times, they failed to bring any respite to around 50 houses here.” — Uma Devi, Kamal Vihar
“A majority of the street-lights in the area were borrowed from other wards around 25 years ago. Since they are very old, most of the time they remain non-functional. Due to roads in a pathetic shape, many a time, commuters had a narrow escape during night.” —Sohan Lal, Guru Nanak Pura (East)
“There are no playgrounds in the ward. The children are forced to play next to the railway lines, posing a serious threat to their lives. Also, except the crossings, neither the railway authorities nor the MC barricaded the railway lines passing from the ward. Many a time, deadly accidents were averted.” Joginder Singh, Guru Nanak Pura (West)
“Water contamination is rampant here in summer season. Almost every year, many people get ill due to the mixing of fresh water supply with that of the sewerage line. Even though the problem occurs every year, MC has failed to repair the age-old water supply and sewerage system here in the ward.” — Neha Sharma
“There is a dire need to build at least two RUBs in the ward as the railway track passes through five different points, causing a lot of harassment to the people.” — Kesh Kumari
