Kapurthala Urban Estate residents stage protest over civic woes, seek action

Residents of Urban Estate, Kapurthala, under the banner of the Urban Estate Welfare Society, staged a peaceful protest on Friday by blocking the Kapurthala–Jalandhar GT Road. They raised longstanding issues including insanitary conditions, lack of streetlights and incomplete boundary walls that threaten their well-being.

Led by Society President Advocate Anuj Anand, the protest saw a strong turnout of residents expressing frustration over years of neglect and inaction by authorities. The sit-in caused a traffic jam on both sides of the highway before police and administration intervened.

The protest highlighted the prolonged indifference of PUDA/JDA, the Municipal Corporation, and other agencies in addressing the civic concerns of Urban Estate and Seed Farm. Residents demanded that only written commitments with fixed timelines will be acceptable, rejecting token assurances and repeated delays.

Key demands included immediate repair and re-carpeting of roads, especially the Ring Road, Shri Neel Kanth Mandir Road and Seed Farm entry road. They called for the heightening and completion of the boundary wall to protect against thefts, encroachments, and security risks.

The residents also urged development of a promised sports complex and recreational facilities for youth, proper maintenance of vacant plots and partially built houses to keep them clean and free from garbage, wild vegetation, and misuse.

Other urgent issues raised were control of stray dogs through sterilisation and animal birth control programmes; effective waste management with an immediate halt to dumping; regular mosquito fogging by the Municipal Corporation; streetlight repairs and new installations in dark areas; and upgrading power supply infrastructure to address outages, voltage fluctuations, and damaged poles.

Advocate Anuj Anand said residents have endured years of negligence but will no longer remain silent. He appealed to concerned departments to provide immediate written commitments with clear timelines, emphasising that public health, safety and the dignity of Urban Estate residents are at stake.