Now under MC, Kishangarh residents still crave for basic amenities

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 14

One may envy this place for its location, but on the contrary you have to think twice before entering this village.

Nestled between Sukhna Lake and the IT Park and being a gateway to Panchkula through Saketri, Kishangarh undoubtedly is one of the best locations in Chandigarh. But lack of development in the area is haunting the residents.

Broken roads, inadequate sewerage system, irregular drinking water supply, no rainwater drainage system and insanitary conditions, the list of civic problems here is a long one.

“There is zero development,” rued Kishangarh resident Jassi Lubana, who also heads the AAP’s Chandigarh youth wing.

“We do not get required drinking water in summers. Sewerage pipelines here were laid about 25-30 years ago. After that the population has increased and sewerage system needs to be upgraded,” said Lubana, adding that sewerage often flows on to the roads.

“Rainwater often stagnates here as the area lacks proper drainage system. Roads here were constructed more than eight years ago, since then re-carpeting has never been. Besides, there is no dispensary and the government school is only up to Class 8,” added the young leader.

After the villages merged with the MC, the development has not happened. But the Kishangarh residents have instead got burdened with taxes.

“After the abolishment of the Panchayat system here, the MC Councillors’ elections are scheduled this December. No development has taken place in between. However, the corporation has started imposing taxes like sewerage cess on water bills. This Chandigarh village is worse than those in Punjab and Haryana,” lamented Vijay Lubana, another Kishangarh resident. Former Panchayat Samiti member Naveen Singh said, “Kishangarh has today become the dirtiest village in the UT. Our relatives do not want to visit us. For last 15 years, roads have not been re-carpeted. Residents often get potholes filled with debris to avoid any accident and during rains that also fails to work. No cleaning works are carried out in the area. We keep shuffling between the administration and the corporation with problems, but nobody bothers.”

Meanwhile, Mayor Ravi Kant Sharma said, “The Administration has already approved release of funds for village development. We will soon receive it, following which work will be done in all villages.” As per the Mayor, the UT Administration has promised to release Rs30 crore special grant for the development of 13 villages up to March 2021.

Village woes Kishangarh

After being notified by the UT Administration on November 30, 2018, 13 Chandigarh villages were brought under the control of the Municipal Corporation with the hope of development. But nearly two-and-a-half years later, these villages are still craving for basic amenities.

No money, no development

The UT Administration had transferred 13 villages to the cash-starved MC in 2018 without allocating any dedicated funds for their development. And even after January’s “in-principle” approval for providing about Rs102 crore for village development, not even a single penny has been given to the MC, leaving these villages in a shambles.