Abandoned and forgotten — the appalling story of 8 hamlets across Ravi

Bureaucratic inertia, political indifference and the state’s inexplicable aversion to take things to their logical conclusion means the Rs 100-crore 800-m bridge project over the Ravi is lying in a state of limbo even after three years of the Union government’s approval to start its construction.

Had the task been accomplished, the misery and anguish of the 3,500 poverty-stricken villagers inhabiting a cluster of eight hamlets across the river could have been mitigated to a large extent.

These villages, spread over 700 acres, are located adjacent to the Pakistan border. The area is separated from India by the meandering river.

In local parlance, the area is called “Us-Paar-Pind” (villages on the other side of the river).

Harried residents are hemmed in by a hostile Pakistan on one side and an intimidating Ravi on the other. During the recent India-Pakistan hostilities, the area was considered to be the Army’s Achilles Heel. There were apprehensions that Pakistani troops could move in any time from the Shakargarh side. The Indians, with the gushing waters of the Ravi acting as an impediment, could not have moved their men and material an inch, even if they wanted to.

These souls have been living in wretched conditions, sans potable water, sanitation, healthcare and education.

These villagers do not live. They exist.

Poverty has been passed from one generation to the other.

Inhabitants have fully understood the meaning of life. It is much like the Ravi. At times, it sweeps you gently along and at other times the torrents come out of nowhere and hit you with a vengeance.

Ever since the British set the country free, the fruits of freedom have been virtually non-existent here. There are just two schools and a dispensary. These function but only in an irregular manner.

Since the International Border (IB) is nearby, a bridge would have been strategically beneficial for the Army too. In the eventuality of a war, the movement of vehicles could have been facilitated. However, due to the lack of facilities, the cluster remains rooted to its outdated past.

“We are considered lesser mortals. We cannot educate our children. We have no access to decent health facilities. Besides, we are looked down upon as if we live in some strange alien land,” says Ranjit Singh, a resident of Lassian village.

Girls are left in the lurch when prospective grooms get to know they live in “Us-Paar-Pind”. Parents are not inclined to let their daughters do jobs across the river as for four months, when the pontoon bridge is dismantled, they cannot work.

Avtar Singh of Toor Chib village tells you an interesting statistic. “Ninety per cent of the girl students leave studies once they pass out of the only middle school the area has. This, in itself, is a severe indictment of the government’s flagship programme, “Beti Padao, Beti Bachao,” he says.

The area has been badly neglected by political satraps. Ever since 1952, when the first General Election was held, Gurdaspur parliamentary seat has had 11 MPs. Two of them, actor Vinod Khanna and Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder, have had multiple terms. Till now, not even a single MP has travelled across the river to see the plight of the people they represent. Reason: The vote-bank is not substantial enough to effect a decisive swing of votes.

The cluster is cut off from Gurdaspur and many other places for four months in a year. That is when, fearing floods in the Ravi, the administration dismantles the pontoon structure. A rickety boat is placed at the disposal of the residents in the choppy waters. Even when the pontoon bridge is in place, farmers are not allowed to take their produce to the sugar mills or grain markets. A tractor can use the pontoon link, but it will not be allowed on it if it is carrying agricultural produce. Tractors can cross the Ravi carrying their produce only after the water level subsides.

There is no veterinary hospital. The result is that the mortality rate of livestock is higher compared to villages across the river.

Till the turn of the millennium, the roads were unfit for vehicles. In 2002, MLA Aruna Chaudhary brought in experts to find a solution. Bulldozers and other heavy equipment could not cross the Ravi. The next best thing was to construct streets using interlocking tiles. And that is what the MLA did after managing funds from the Punjab Government.

In the seventies and eighties, many rich villagers sold their land holdings and began their lives afresh in nearby cities. Some enterprising ones set up rice mills and conduit pipe manufacturing factories in Dinanagar, while others became professionals like teachers, engineers and doctors. They had crawled out of a deep hole right into the sunlight.

The poor had no such privilege.

The strong currents of the Ravi and high-water levels during the monsoons make it difficult for youngsters to access jobs, education, healthcare and other essential facilities. Villagers often face delays in getting medical attention. Pregnant women have delivered still-born babies while waiting to cross the river.

Mobile phones work, but the signals are too weak. The Internet is too far-fetched a story.

The area falls in the Dinanagar Assembly seat. In 2002, MLA Aruna Chaudhary consigned bureaucratic hurdles to the backburner and subsequently brought in funds to get a pontoon bridge established. Reason enough why she is a much-revered figure in the area. Before 2002, villagers had to use wobbly boats throughout the year.

The pontoon link solved the problem, but only partially. The only permanent solution was to construct a concrete bridge. And here starts an unsavoury tale of vested interests and how a disinterested bureaucracy ambushed the project.

The Army gave the mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC). Within no time, in August, 2021, the Union Government gave administrative approval for Rs 100.48 crore.

The stage was set for tenders to be invited. The only snag was a 5.85-acre piece of land that had to be acquired to complete approach roads leading to both sides of the bridge.

For nearly three years, the land acquisition project has remained in a limbo.

There are small hitches that need to be taken care of before the acquisition work is given the green light.

The living conditions are appalling and will remain so till a forward-looking administrator decides to take the show in his hands. Otherwise, adversity will remain the only ally for these deprived souls.