Residents hope civic amenities will improve after formation of MC House
The MC elections are scheduled to be held on Saturday and a day before, The Tribune team took a round of various wards in the city to know the ground reality and actual situation there. It talked to people about their expectations from the new MC House and what hardships they had been facing in context to civic issues in the recent past. The wards visited were divided into good, bad and ugly according to their condition and state-of-affairs.
Good roads in Ward 60
The condition of roads in Gurdev Nagar, which falls in Ward 60 were in a good state. “Gurdev Nagar is one of the posh localities and the condition of parks and roads here is better. We hope the coming new MC House will help in beautifying the city and solving issues such as traffic congestion,” said Pinkie Grewal, a resident of Gurdev Nagar.
Parks well-maintained in Ward 47
Parks at Atam Nagar in Ward 47 were well kept. One of the oldest parks in Atam Nagar, which has two iconic crocodile statues, still manages to attract the attention of the people. Maneeta, who was having a stroll in the park, said she often comes here for a walk and the place was good to sit around in the sun during winters. “Parks here are in a good condition and well kept. Nowadays, these are blooming with flowers,” she said.
Encroachments lead to traffic jams in Ward 51
Encroachments at the Model Town market in Ward 51 leads to frequent traffic jams. People coming for shopping have to face traffic jams every time they visit the area. Shallu Aggarwal, a shopper at Model Town, said she often comes here and faces huge difficulty due to lack of parking space. People haphazardly park their vehicles and shopkeepers encroach upon roads leading to traffic snarls. “I hope the issue will be solved by the new MC House. It’s not impossible. It just needs proper planning and strict implementation of law,” she said.
Garbage menace plagues Ward 95
Garbage littered along the national highway near the Jalandhar bypass in Ward 95 presents a sorry state of affairs. Stray cattle can be seen grazing on refuse. The stretch is heavily littered with garbage, construction debris and other waste materials. It not only creates an unsightly appearance but also poses a health hazard. “It is one of the main highways but the condition of the road is too bad. The stretch should be regularly cleaned as people in a large numbers pass through the road. I still have hope of getting the stretch cleaned after the formation of the new MC House,” said Baljit Singh, a commuter.
Ward 2 veggie market in state of neglect
The vegetable market in Ward 2 is in a state of neglect as garbage, rotten vegetables and plastic waste can be seen littered on the road outside the mandi. It becomes difficult to pass through the stretch due to the foul smell and things get worse during the rainy season. “Though vegetables and fruits are available at wholesale prices in the market, many customers have stopped visiting the place due to the garbage menace. We hope after the elections, the condition of our sabzi mandi gets improved,” said Daya Parsad, a vegetable wholesaler.
Ward 87: Buddha Nullah remains polluted
The Buddha Nullah passes through Ward 87, which continues to be polluted over the past years. In every elections, pollution in the nullah is the main issue for political parties who vow to make it clean but nothing is done at the gound level. Savitri, who stays near the banks of te nullah in the ward, said she has no hope that things would improve in coming times. “I have been seeing the nullah for years and it’s becoming worse with time. During monsoons, it becomes difficult when dirty water from the nullah enters our houses,” she said.
