Third Mayor Surinder Mahey gave dividers, footpaths to city

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 10

Barring a few controversies, the tenure of the third Mayor of Jalandhar, Surinder Mahey, is remembered by residents for attempting to make the city dust-proof by raising dividers and footpaths along all main roads.

The Congress leader had also played a crucial role in allowing the provision of drinking water supply in even unauthorised colonies. He had put his foot down by saying that all those colonies which had got inhabitated could not be denied water supply through the MC lines. Such areas had illegal water and sewer connections, which had not been properly done.

“Legalising water and sewer amenities in such colonies helped us bring down the incidents of cholera and gastroenteritis, which remained a big issue and led to many fatalities for years,” Mahey said proudly discussing his contribution to the city.

“The number of tubewells in 2002 when I took over was 118, of which only 100 were working. It rose to 265 by 2007, with as many as 90 being installed for slum localities,” he said.

“My predecessor had got a dairy complex set up at Jamsher, but the dairy owners were not ready to move out of the city. Owing to the faecal waste of the animals being discharged in the MC drains, these remained blocked in most colonies and gave rise to water-borne and vector-borne diseases in the city. I arranged MC vehicles for free shifting of the milch animals to dairy complex. I had to use force too, but it eventually proved very beneficial.”

Mahey said his experience as a councillor in 1991 came very handy. “Also since I was a globe-trotter, owing to my personal works, I had a vision and tried to bring ideas here from developed countries,” He adds, “I had started Swachh Bharat campaign much earlier since 1978 as a social worker by getting toilets constructed for some 800 houses in Buta Mandi. This experience too came in as a big help.”

“It was due to a broad vision that I attempted to create a double-basement parking and a 100-shop Pallika Bazaar under the central park in Model Town (now called Shivani Park). But people from within my party sent out a wrong message that the green belt was being removed and managed a stay from court owing to which the project got shelved. I had also proposed the setting up of a revolving restaurant atop pillars at the same site. It would have been a beautiful attraction for the market and I would have regrets all my life for not having been able to get it started.”

He added, “Had I not been an environment lover, I also would not have gone ahead with orders against holding Dusehra celebrations at Model Town Park (rear of gurdwara) and Partap Bagh. The organisers used the park for a day and spoiled the entire greenery in one go. The people there now remember me for my hard step.”

Mahey has yet another regret – that of not being able to get flat-type housing scheme started for Bhargo Nagar residents. “We wanted to demolish the existing houses and instead give flats to the occupants free of cost. We were to use the freed space commercially and recover the cost of construction from here. This project of mine to met too much opposition and got thwarted,” rues Mahey.