14% of Phagwara deprived of basic amenities, affecting 7,000 residents

Despite Phagwara receiving municipal corporation status after decades of wait, nearly 14 per cent of its population continues to live without basic civic amenities. These neighbourhoods—Green Valley, Ajit Singh Nagar, New Vikas Nagar and Parmar Nagar—remain outside the civic coverage grid, leaving around 7,000 residents facing severe sanitation and infrastructure challenges.

Ironically, even the official residence of the local MLA falls within this neglected zone, where sewerage lines have yet to be installed.

Residents report that new colonies have mushroomed over the years, but administrative inertia and a lack of coordinated planning have kept them deprived of essential services. Locals like Phagwara MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal said that despite repeated appeals, no progress has taken place. With no sewerage network, households rely on makeshift safety tanks that overflow frequently, creating foul conditions and clogging drains. In many homes, kitchens and courtyards are routinely flooded with wastewater, leaving families to endure health hazards and an unbearable stench.

Residents living near these localities stretch highlight that even simple civic tasks—like regular cleaning of roads or drains—are overlooked. Dhaliwal, acknowledging the shortcomings, expressed frustration that residents who invested their life savings into building homes are still denied fundamental amenities.

Local civic bodies and authorities, however, cite different reasons for the stalled development. While officials point to the absence of sewer connections in the original layout and a lack of technical feasibility, the MLA attributes delays to administrative lapses and insufficient departmental coordination.

Pardeep Chottani, SDO Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, has indicated that an estimated Rs 5 crore would be required to bring the neglected region under the sewerage network. Proposals have been drafted and are awaiting financial clearance.

Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr Akshita Gupta has assured that they will hold a joint meeting with the concerned relevant departments to expedite action. For now, however, the affected residents remain trapped in a cycle of civic deprivation—hopeful that administrative promises will soon translate into tangible development on the ground.