Jobs scarce, drugs aplenty: Bapu Dham residents

Kaveesha Kohli
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 2

“We will make sure Modi ji wins. Everyone in my neighbourhood thinks the same. We now have swings in parks, better cleanliness, computer and dance classes. We want Modi to win the election every time,” says Mukesh Sharma, a driver based in Bapu Dham Colony.

Sharma however adds, “Sab theek hai, bas rozgar nahi hai. (Everything is fine, just that we don’t have jobs),” as he points out to a group of young men. Sharma says the men gather there every morning and stay till the evening. Several of them abuse drugs.

The men in turn laugh and take turns to point out the others’ drug of choice.

“Ganja, heroin, injections, people take everything here. Chemists also sell certain addictive substances,” says Sharma.

An inebriated Amit Shrivastva, a BA student, says, “Boys do drugs because they have nothing else to do. I go to college, but what is the point? Educated people don’t get jobs these days.”

Heroin, which can cost up to Rs 2,500 per gram, is a rather expensive drug. “That’s why thefts are rampant here. Men steal to buy drugs. The police have now even stopped registering cases,” adds Shrivastva.

THE HOUSING PROBLEM

“Bapu Dham was supposed to be a transit camp for five years. Now, it even has multi-storey buildings,” says Bapu Dham councillor Dalip Sharma.

For residents who have now lived here for a few decades, lack of ownership of their homes has caused a major contention over the years.

“I have been living on this land since 1975. But I don’t have its ownership. What will happen to our future generations?” asks Pal Singh, president, Senior Citizens’ Welfare Association, Bapu Dham, as he shows the various representations sent to MP Kirron Kher as well as the Central Government seeking transfer of ownership.

The representations were sent to the Centre in 2015. Pal Singh has not received any response yet.

Sharma says the matter did go to the Central Government, which even decided to value the one-room EWS houses at Rs 1 lakh each but it is “because of the bureaucracy” that nothing has happened so far.

Others who live in rented accommodations have their own set of housing problems. Several say that they filled forms under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in the last two–three years. There has been no intimation from the government since.

Rs15L THAT NEVER CAME

“Modi ji had promised that Rs 15 lakh will go to every bank account. If not anything else, they should have made sure that at least the poor got the money,” says Dawood Ahmed, a shop owner in the Sector 26 fruit and vegetable market.

“We all thought that we will get money in our accounts, but nothing happened,” says Anil Kumar, a tailor.

Further, several residents of Bapu Dham are migrants from states such as UP.

“There is only one train that runs from here to Unnao. We were promised more, but no new trains have started yet,” says Anil Kumar.

According to Ahmed, the UT Government also began collecting Rs 2,000 from vendors but given them places to operate “which will ensure that they die of hunger”.

IN PRAISE OF PM

Despite local issues, PM Narendra Modi’s image remains good in Bapu Dham, especially due to demonetisation and Balakot.

“Pakistan ko jawaab kitna acchhe se diya Modi ji ne. (Pakistan was given such a solid response by Modi),” says a housewife.

She also has recently learned customer relationship management under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).

“My vote will go to the Congress. I have traditionally voted for them. But I know the BJP will win. Modi is a very strong leader and he is the only one who can bring change,” says Kishan Lal, a shopkeeper.

LOCAL ISSUES

• A part of several houses have been broken down in order to set up sewage lines. Even as debris and bricks lay around, work has stopped since February. “The contractor must be busy elsewhere. But I am confident that the work will resume after elections,” says councillor Dalip Sharma. 
• Several residents also claim that they were promised a new park at a green stretch at Bapu Dham. Currently the green stretch only serves as a garbage dump.
• In the existing parks, a public gym and swings had been installed. 
• “The gym equipment is damaged. Bapu Dham has more residents than it can take care of,” says Tinesh, a shopkeeper.