District status a distant dream

Nitin Jain

District status remains a distant dream for Naraingarh. This subdivision, known for sugarcane farming and stone crushing industry, is part of Ambala district.

Though this Assembly segment has not been a citadel of any political party, the Congress has won from here four times while the ruling BJP registered its maiden victory in 2014. Besides, this constituency has been represented by all other major parties – INLD, BSP, HVP and even an Independent candidate. The first-time BJP MLA from here Nayab Saini is no more a legislator as he was elected MP from Kurukshetra in the recently held Lok Sabha election.

With Saini entering the Lok Sabha and vacating the Vidhan Sabha seat, he managed to get the BJP ticket from here for his confidant and Ambala zila parishad chairman Surender Singh. While several local leaders were eyeing the ticket, the MP was earlier seeking nomination for his wife Suman Saini, who is the district vice-president of the BJP. But after the party decided not to allot ticket to the kin of MPs and MLAs, he brought in Surender.

From the Congress, former Chief Parliamentary Secretary Ram Kishan Gurjar had represented Naraingarh in the Vidhan Sabha in 2009 and 2005 but he had been convicted in a case in 2017. His father Lal Singh had also won from here in 1967, 1968, 1977 and 1982. This time, several new faces – Sukhvinder Singh Nara and Ashok Mehta – were vying for the party ticket from here but Gurjar managed to get it for his wife Shalley.

Residents of the segment have expressed dissatisfaction over the civic amenities and infrastructure. “A railway line from Yamunanagar to Chandigarh via Naraingarh had been passed in the 2013 Railway Budget but no work has yet started on the project during the last 5 years of the BJP regime,” lamented a local trader, Sudarshan Kumar.

A sugarcane farmer, Kaka Singh, said the private sugar mill in Naraingarh owed crores of rupees to farmers, while a cab driver, Ashok Sagar, rued that “illegal mining is a major problem here and the local authorities have turned a blind eye towards the racket for obvious reasons.”

A homemaker, Sujata, said the local civil hospital was a mere referral hospital with even pregnant women getting referred to Ambala for delivery.

“The Markanda rivulet flowing through this area is full of pollutants as the industries in its vicinity are discharging effluents into it without any curbs,” said a private employee, Akanksha Sharma, whereas a college teacher, Sumedha Singh, complained that the area lacked educational facilities as there was no university in the segment.

LEGISLATORSPEAK

“Our work speaks louder than words. We had delivered what all we had promised. People had put a stamp of approval on my work by electing me to the Lok Sabha. I will continue to look after Naraingarh in the future and will strive hard to further develop the area.” – Ex-MLA & KURUKSHETRA MP NAYAB SAINI

OPPOSITIONSPEAK

“The BJP had made false promises to people and now they will have to pay the price for it. Every section of society is fed up. The major issues of poor health and educational facilities besides unemployment due to non-industrialisation remain unsolved. There is no canal water irrigation facility and this is resulting in the depletion of the groundwater. We will work for public welfare and fulfil all the genuine demands if we come back.” Shalley, Congress

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