Banga: Lagging behind on growth front
Deepkamal Kaur
Even though this reserved Assembly seat houses Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, and tall promises are made here every year to spruce it up, nothing much seems to have happened here in the name of development.
The four-laning of Phagwara-Ropar stretch and raising of flyovers in Banga town have reduced the travel time for the residents of Jalandhar and Phagwara commuting to Chandigarh. However, locals are certainly an affected lot. The flyover has made the road congested and the area inside its pillars is being used for parking, thus imparting it a rather busier look. Even the defacement of pillars due to the pasting of huge banners and posters has made the town look ugly.
Residents of the town rue that they do not even have a functional Municipal Council, despite polling in February this year. “While the councillors took oath, there could be no elections of the president as no party was able to get the majority. The town also got the sub-division status in 2011, but it is still to get the required infrastructure for the purpose”, said Harjot Singh, a resident. The ruling government, however, is trying to give a fresh push by announcing huge doles in villages and getting development started.
Locals’ key demands
- Functional MC
- Decongested markets
- Infra upgrade in tehsil
- Protection of public property
Past trend
Voters here have voted for the SAD and Congress alternatively since 1997. The SAD won in 2017, 2007 and 1997, while the Congress claimed victory in 2012 and 2002. Earlier, BSP won the seat in 1992, while the CPM emerged victorious in 1977.
Electorate strength
Total voters: 1,64,318
Male: 84,730
Female: 79,583
Third gender: 5
