Village adopted by Sampla cries for attention

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Mukerian, December 6

When Budhawar village in Hoshiarpur’s Mukerian town was adopted by Union Cabinet Minister Vijay Sampla under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana in 2014, its residents hoped for a turnaround.

Two years down the line, not even a single demand out of 27 put up by the panchayat has been fulfilled.

Budhawar sarpanch Kuldip Singh met Sampla four times, demanding water and sewerage connections, removal of encroachments, and an institution for higher education.

Of around 1,200 houses in the village, only 270 have a water connection. Around 80 per cent of the population is Dalit. 6,800

The condition of the sewerage system can be gauged from the pools of water at several places. “Things are unmanageable during monsoon. It becomes worst when mosquitoes start hovering around stagnant water,” the sarpanch said.

Lambardar Randhir Singh claimed houses had come up on a large section of a dried-up canal. “Potholed roads are another eyesore. Only a street has been laid in concrete and the only project near completion is a 66-KV power station,” he said.

Pardeep Singh, a village resident, said the village school did not have science and commerce streams.

The supply of drugs is another cause for worry for the villagers. Tractor operator Ganesh Ram claimed, “I have often seen well-built lads in SUVs, providing youths with drugs in the periphery of the village.”

Sampla said, “The scheme does not provide for any special grant. It is an effort to involve the people in doing works and set an example (adarsh) for others. The demands of villagers are in my knowledge. Funds for streetlights have been sanctioned, while the waterworks is on priority.”