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Aparna Banerji
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, February 17
The little courtyard of Amanjit’s two-room house lays strewn with mattresses which have been left out to dry after they got wet due to leakage in the roof of both rooms during the recent rains. Another resident with similar complaints says she moves around her belongings the entire night after rains. Five years after the village was adopted by local MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh, there is no development in Ganna Pind.
Meanwhile, yet another village resident Seemo claims she did not even have a toilet at her home.
The school in the village has a muddy ground and inadequate staff. There are no desks for students due to which they squat on tattered rugs on floor.
Speaking to The Tribune, Amanjit Kaur, a resident of the village, says: “There are seven people in my house and I have even left my daughter at my own native village, as it is impossible to sleep here, especially when the roof drips during the rains. When the roof leaks, we don’t get sleep, all our mattresses get wet. When I got married, 15 years ago, an initial grant had been applied for in my mother-in-law’s name, for which we got a roof. But now, the roofs of both rooms have been dripping again and despite applying for a grant in my name, we have failed to get it. We don’t know when the roof might fall on us. I have sent my girl, we might also have to go. Bahut aukhe aan (we are facing much difficulties). We have told the sarpanch, he keeps assuring us but does nothing.”
The approach road to the home is also flooded with sewage water.
Reshmo, a senior citizen of the village, said: “It is popular as an adopted village. We thought there would be some development. The laying of sewerage has not done any good for the village. Streets are inundated with sewage water. I have also not received pension for the past two months. The state of roads and sewerage is more or less the same as was five years ago. Then why was the village adopted. We have only received some money for a toilet.”
Beena, who stays with her three daughters at the village, says: “We have made a high ramp to steer clear of the sewage water but the state of the roads is the same and during the rains, walking on them is a difficult task. Streets are inundated with water and despite assurances drugs are still available here. My daughter goes outside for a sewing course. I can’t let her go alone as addicts sometimes roam around in the streets.”
While the village dump is close by, she adds, “for the past five years, the dump has not moved. A little wind scatters polythenes and dirt across these homes and during rains, the garbage enters the houses.
Repeated complaints to the sarpanch fail to yielded any result.”
Sarpanch of Ganna Pind village Gulzari Lal said: “There is a common place in every village to throw garbage. Rather than complaining, the residents should make sure they don’t dump their garbage there. The MP has spent over Rs 20 lakh for the village and the village’s sewerage has been laid during his tenure. The village has been adopted as per a central scheme for which funds have to be sent from the Centre. How can he ensure development without funds. His hands are tied. Many projects are held up because funds are awaited.”
However, MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh said: “We have spent Rs 20 lakh for laying sewerage at the village and more work on it is also in the pipeline. As far as other projects are concerned, the Centre has failed to provide funds in all major works. This is the reason we did not adopt a second village. We sought a de-addiction centre form the Centre, the funds for which were declined. For some funds, they asked to route the request through the state. We deem it the failure of the BJP-led Central Government, as every adopted village, even those which were adopted by BJP MPs, face similar underdevelopment. It is not possible for me to spend all my MPLAD funds on Ganna Pind alone.”
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