Insanitary conditions, bad roads make life hell in Bhargo Camp

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 7

Just like the city is famous for its posh areas like Model Town and GTB Nagar, it is equally known for Bhargo Camp which was created after the partition of India.

Bhargo Camp, with a high vote bank, has been without any development for decades. It was set up here for migrants from Pakistan. As one walks down the streets, one sees insanitary conditions and bad condition of roads in the area.

Residents here seem to have accepted their fate. They clearly say that now that the elections have come, everyone will come to them with folded hands with requests for their vote. But once the polling is over, nobody even sees them.

Enter the camp and it starts giving the idea of problems here. Stray dogs are found at most of the areas of the camp, dangling wires can be seen and people complain of unclean water.

Ramesh Chander Bhagat, a resident of the area and retired SDO from the Electricity Department, said the problem is that we have not been heard all these years.

Walking barely a kilometre tells the plight of the area. A group of women sitting outside a small house are closely following the campaigns. Ask them about the problems and they say, “Hamara to card bhi nahee bana (referring to Blue cards), kitne chakkar lagaye, kuch nahee hua, ye log bhi paanch saal k baad hi dikhte hain).”

Talking about medical facilities, they said the dispensary here lacked many medicines and they had to go to other hospitals.

Mamta, a housewife who lives in a rented house, says the main problem was related to unclean water.

Rani, an elderly woman, is worried about her pension every month, as it was only last month that she had got it after waiting for five months.

A group of elderly women, sitting outside a tea stall, summed up the whole situation, “Koi bhi aae, kamm saare apne bandeya de layi hi krde hai, sanu vote vale din to pehele tak hi puchde hai, fer te tu kaun te main kaun.” (Anyone who is in power works only for people close to them. Candidates come to us only before voting, after that they don’t care).