Ropar: Development only on paper

Arun Sharma

The constituency came into existence ahead of the 2012 Assembly elections. AAP candidate Amarjit Singh Sandoa registered victory in the 2017 elections but the party had to sit in the Opposition. Sandoa joined the ruling Congress in the run-up to the 2019 General Election, claiming it would help him undertake development works in the area. Things, however, failed to improve and the MLA returned to AAP.

The internal roads in the rural areas are in a poor condition. The main road in Giani Zail Singh Nagar, from Radha Swami Satsang Ghar to Congress Bhawan, is riddled with potholes. A bridge on the seasonal river between Purkhali and Bidrakh villages remains a distant dream for locals. The residents are yet to get a bus stand building in the town as construction work could not be started despite earmarking of land several years ago near the Police Lines.

A project to drain the water emanating from the sewage treatment plant also remained a non-starter leading to stagnation in open areas near the IIT campus.