‘Quality health facilities priority’

Jasbir Singh Dimpa made a thumping comeback in active politics by winning the Khadoor Sahib seat by a margin of 1,40,573 votes. In an interview with The Tribune reporter Manmeet Singh, Dimpa shared his vision on development.

What according to you are the main issues concerning the constituency?

Lack of job opportunities and health and education facilities are the core issues. Besides, farmers face problems in tilling land across the border fence. People in certain areas do not have access to drinking water. The education scenario, especially higher studies, is in dismal state. The constituency does not have a single higher education institute of repute where students can go. 

What can be done to help youth find jobs?

We had two cooperative sugar mills in the constituency — one at Tarn Taran and other at Zira. Both are lying defunct for many years as no efforts were made for their revival. If the two mills could be made operational, not only the youth would find employment, but the farmers would also be benefitted. Moreover, it will generate many supplementary jobs. We have a Railway Coach Factory (RCF) at Kapurthala, but unfortunately most of the jobs go to youth from outside the state. We need to run special skill programmes so that the local youth could get jobs at the RCF. 

How do you plan to help people get better health and education?  

Being a predominantly rural constituency, students have to go to other cities for higher studies. Either they go to Jalandhar or Amritsar. As a result they have to stay in a hostel, leading to additional financial burden on poor people. Similar is the case with health, patients have to be taken to Jalandhar or Amritsar even after injuries in road accidents as we don’t have a well-equipped hospital. We need higher educational institutions and good hospitals. I will take up the issue in Parliament as well as with the state government.

You have won with a huge margin, what helped your victory?

The area, especially Tarn Taran district, had become infamous for drugs. The government under CM Capt Amarinder Singh has helped in solving the problem to a great extent. Besides, during the SAD rule, even the social security schemes were politicised. Now, people have seen a change as politicisation of social security schemes have ended and people like it.

How do you see the future of SAD, AAP and PDA in Khadoor Sahib? 

As I said, the previous 10 years were of misrule. There was no law. People were fed up of false cases and undue interference in public offices. Earlier, one could not get even a driving licence made without a recommendation from the MLA office. People have totally rejected SAD. Besides, people in this panthic constituency are simple and religious minded. They are hurt and they have avenged desecration. And let me tell you they are not going to forget. The AAP has already crumbled under its weight and it has no base now. 

The constituency has many encroachments on forest land. What will you do about it?  

Environment is a big concern and everybody should work to make it better. Many institutions have encroached upon forest lands. I will surely work to get this land free. Besides, the Ramsar site at Harike needs to be developed into a tourist destination. It is one of the nine sites listed under Ramsar convention and is rich in flora and fauna. We will try to remove all illegal encroachments be it near Harike or alongside other sites near rivers in the constituency. 

Setting the agenda

We need higher educational institutions and good hospitals in the constituency. I will take up the issue in Parliament as well as with the state govt