Foul water in Daumajra bylanes is not ‘vikas’, says village
The villagers of Daumajra might have learnt to live with the overwhelming stench of ankle-deep fetid water whirling and swirling through its bylanes but elections are a different ball game.
To underline their misery and highlight the problem, they “invited” Congress candidate Ram Karan Kala, here today, “across” their “pool of woes”. “This is a decade-old problem which could have been addressed after the 2019 Assembly election since our successive MLAs have not been able to address it. In the last term, JJP MLA Ram Karan Kala, now the Congress candidate, promised a solution but could do nothing despite being in alliance with the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party. A local leader of the saffron party, appointed adviser to the Chief Minister, stalled all our development works to show Kala in poor light,” explains Satwinder Singh.
The foul-smelling water, referred to as the “vikas” (development) of the village, is a constant in the bylanes and comes from the sewage of the houses drained into the village pond. “The local government school is in the lane where the water collects each time the pond overflows. The children have to wade through this water to go to school. During the monsoon season, this water becomes knee-deep and the stench is all-pervasive,” Ajay Singh rues.
While the villagers are hopeful of a solution soon after the results are declared, reaching the polling booth, located at the government school, is itself a challenge given the stagnant water. To facilitate access to the polling staff and the voters, the boundary wall of the school has been demolished and stairs are being constructed on a war-footing.
“The wall was demolished in the morning because there is no way for either the staff or the voters to enter through the school gate. The waterlogging of lanes is a permanent feature in our village and we want this to be addressed on priority once the new government takes over. The bigger issues of employment and farmers can wait. We will vote for anybody who commits to addressing the bane of our village,” Bija Devi, a septuagenarian, remarks, adding that she prefers to stay away from political programmes though she is very enthusiastic about casting her vote.
Stating that BJP candidate Subhash Kalsana, a new face, did come once for a touch-and-go programme in which the villagers could not even tell him their concern of waterlogging in the lanes. “That is why we chose this spot for holding Kala’s programme. This way, he will know how difficult our life is,” says Ajay Singh.
