Substandard work leads to potholed roads

Raj Sadosh

Abohar, December 21

The town that was founded by Rajput king Abhay Rao Bhaati has been in a gradual decline. Once known as “Abha Nagari”, development in the town has slowed down drastically with both of its cotton spinning mills shutting down.

Most of the roads in the town are pot holed due to “substandard” construction by the MC and the Improvement Trust. The footpaths on Circular Road, Rani Jhansi Market, Railway Road, inside the old grain markets, Sadar Thana Road and other parts of the town have been encroached upon.

Annual budget

The annual budget of the council is Rs 24.89 crore. The salary bill of the staff is Rs 14.52 crore and the MC has to pay Rs 10.12 crore power bills. This leaves the MC with Rs 25 lakh to maintain roads and streetlights, etc. The council is heavily dependent on grants from the state government. However, it has failed to get any grant in the last seven years. Property and development taxes are the main sources of income for the MC.

Infrastructure

The bus stand in the town has not been repaired for the past 10 years. The state government has not appointed the chairman for the Improvement Trust that has wasted millions of rupees on constructing substandard roads. The fountain built by the Trust in Rani Jhansi Market has not functioned for the past two decades.

Social Welfare Board chairperson Vijay Laxmi Bhadoo complained that the Trust had transferred Rs 4 crore to Municipal Council, Fazilka, instead of taking up development schemes in Abohar.

The Central Government had provided Rs 23 crore under the Urban Renewal Project in 1992 for relaying sewerage, but only Rs 17 crore has been utilised within the prescribed period of three years.

Congress Legislature Party Leader Sunil Jakhar had to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard. Jakhar alleged the state government “intentionally” delayed forwarding the Rs 67 crore project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission to the Central Government, despite HC directions. The authorities were to renovate the sewerage and water supply system under the scheme.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had sanctioned Rs 2 crore at a public durbar here on September 15 to repair roads. But the MC is yet to receive the money.

The roads remain choked due to lack of parking spaces. The authorities have also failed to tackle stray cattle menace even though Surinder Batra’s family donated Rs 4 crore for the purpose.

Sanitation in the town is poor. The council has only 165 regular employees on its rolls as against the sanctioned strength of 325.

Political landscape

The BJP has been in majority in the House for the past five years. However, district president Sita Ram Sharma and several councillors of the BJP-SAD have complained about poor governance and misrule.