MAJRI : Voters of six villages in Punjab will boycott the February 4 Assembly elections, as no political party in the last more than four decades has fulfilled promises made to them, mainly on road connectivity to their villages.
For three months in a year, the villages are cut off from the rest of the world for the rainy season with the water levels in the rivulets rising.
Speaking to Express, Raj Bala, sarpanch of Majri village says, “There are 1,800 votes in these six villages (Majri, Gura, Kasualai, Kharondiwala and Bhagidi) as they have a population of 4,000 people as we are near Chandigarh but still very far off.
We have been requesting the elected representatives for the last many decades that the 12-kilometre roads to our villages should be constructed along with the eight bridges and during the rainy season that is June, July and August we are cut off from the rest of the world as the water level rises. Thus, no one can move out and if there is a medical emergency then it is a big problem.’’
“From Mullanpur to our villages to the Haryana border we want roads to be made in Punjab area. In the last Assembly elections the MLA from Kharar, in whose constituency our villages fall, Jagmohan Singh Kang of the Congress, visited us and promised that he would ensure that the roads are made and we voted for him. But five years have passed and nothing has happened. The same was the case during the Parliamentary elections in 2014.
Member of Parliament Prem Singh Chandumajra of Shiromani Akali Dal won and made the same promise. More than two years have passed and nothing has happened,” says Gurdee Singh, a youngster from the village. He said, “Now our demand is that the road should be constructed under the Pradhanmantri Gram Yojna.’’
“Besides health problems faced by the villagers due to lack of connectivity, the children who have to go to higher school also face the same fate, as the school in our village is just till Class VIII and we demanded it should be upgraded to senior secondary and also that a primary health centre be set up,’’ says Raj Bala.
Chinda Singh, sarpanch of Kharondiwala village, says, “No leaders are coming. They are just sending their representatives to our villages. The reason is simple —How can they face us, as they have not fulfilled promises they made to us in the last elections.’’