Sahnewal’s ward 1, 2 residents express discontent over lack of basic amenities

Voters of Wards 1 and 2 of Sahnewal seem to be in no mood to exercise their right to vote. The reason is a lack of basic amenities in their wards due to the lackadaisical attitude of councillors, who have seldom done anything constructive there.

“The roads of these wards are in a pitiable condition. No councillor seems to have been bothered about carpeting or reconstructing these. Major to minor accidents take place every now and then due to the poor condition of the road, which leads to a number of educational institutions and other establishments in the town. We have made up our mind that this time we are not going to be befooled. We fail to understand how these politicians muster enough courage to face voters every five years, despite their nonperforming report card,” rued Navdeep Bhullar, who teaches at a local school and resides in Ward 1.

“Both these wards of Sahnewal can be labelled endangered as stray dogs roam in the streets and threaten residents. Incidents of dog bites increase by the day. Recently, a child was bitten by a stray dog and is undergoing treatment at a local clinic. Stray dogs have spread such terror in these wards that children have stopped playing in the open, and morning and evening walkers prefer to sit back,” shared Surinder Sidhu, a resident of the ward.

“Streetlights in the area are either missing or faulty. Residents avoid stepping out of their houses in the dark even during emergencies because of stray dogs. The councillor and the council seldom bother to resolve the problem, added Harbans Singh, a social worker in the town.

“Water pipes have been installed, but these are useless in the absence of supply. The water supply has not reached the doors of the residents, due to which they are forced to fetch water from surrounding areas or sometimes even go without water. Imagine the negligence of the council, which has left the pipes open for the sewerage to flow on the roads. The sewage, oozing out of the blocked sewers, is enough to wreak havoc on the streets and create an unhealthy and filthy environment,” complained a resident of ward 2.

“To make matters worse, heaps of garbage continue to stare the residents in the face, and the municipal authorities ignore the problem as usual. Akali, Congress, and now the AAP party have proved to be nincompoops as far as the assurance of basic facilities to the residents of the two wards is concerned. Now as the elections inch closer, we shall definitely pay them back,” said a resident of Ward 1.