Punjab: ‘Chiefless’ Nawanshahr council in civic chaos

Punjab: Nawanshahr – officially known as Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar – finds itself in a civic quagmire. Fed up with the ever-deteriorating condition of roads and no potable water supply in several areas, residents are lamenting the inaction of the currently ‘chiefless’ Municipal Council in Nawanshahr. They said the situation has worsened due to political chaos and endless allegations and counter-allegations among councillors. The issues of the common man get affected as leaders squabble over petty issues. Urbanisation has led to new colonies coming up in several areas. The municipal corporation’s drinking water supply is yet to reach there. Meanwhile, the condition of roads is such that earlier this month, traders having shops on Railway Road went to the DC office and handed over the keys of their shops to him, while claiming that they cannot function with roads in such a bad condition. Nawanshahr MLA Nachhatar Pal had also formally raised the issue of Railway Road in the Assembly on March 28 this year. Social activist Ashwani Joshi said, “The city’s infrastructure has collapsed in the last few years, with many people not getting drinking water and roads riddled with deadly potholes, making commuting a risky affair. Nawanshahr residents are fed up with the current situation and are demanding a change. It is time the councillors take responsibility for their failures and resign. This will pave the way for young, intellectual leaders to take over the reins of the city.” Kulwinder Singla, a resident of College Colony, said, “I have been living here since 2016 and have not yet received a pipeline system or water supply facility from the district administration or the municipal council. All the houses in the area have borewells or submersible pumps. The issue has been raised several times. Officials postpone the matter saying tenders have been invited for the work.” “The condition of roads is even worse. There are potholes on Phillaur Road, Rahon to Nawanshahr Road, Chandigarh Road and most of all on Railway Road,” Singla said. Harkiran Singh Khara, a resident of Khara Colony, said, “The pipeline has been laid in our colony, but the municipal corporation has not yet started the water supply. Residents have to make do with borewells or submersible pumps. The water crisis is expected to worsen as soon as summer begins in the new colonies. To top it, the roads are also in a bad condition. Railway Road is the worst affected.” Sachin Dewan was removed from the post of chairman of the Nawanshahr Municipal Council in 2021. The vice-chairman of the municipal body quit his one-year term and no elections were held, while the local body director had passed orders in this regard in September 2022. Meanwhile, a series of council meetings were being called by the executive officer (EO) of the municipal council. Earlier this year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered that the EO is only empowered to conduct the administrative work of the council and the proceedings initiated are required to be quashed. Nawanshahr MLA Nachhatar Pal said, “I recently raised the issue of Railway Road for the second time in the assembly. It has been in a dilapidated condition for years. It started falling apart just a few months after it was built in 2021. Rs 83 lakh was spent on it and after a vigilance inquiry, the contractor deposited Rs 16 lakh back to the council. Either elections should be held or the government should find some other way to get these works done, as the public is troubled due to this delay.”