Lawbreaker lawmakers?

The Tribune Tribune News Service

Ahead of poll, drug hub awaits development Feb 11th 2022, 01:32 Aparna Banerji Jalandhar, February 10 At the derelict, dusty, garbage-ridden area of Qazi Mandi in Jalandhar, the only fresh and sparkling sight is the myriad party flags and posters swaying and glistening in the February sunlight. Everything else is bleak, grey and dirty. Qazi Mandi has for ages been the underbelly of the city. Popular as a hub of drugs and populated by a community of South Indian residents settled here for a long time, Qazi Mandi remains in the dark ages even as the city around it has progressed. Residents share plight of the area. Photos: Sarabjit Singh My husband died but I'm yet to get a job. I do business but it's not enough to make ends meet. Due to drug problem, there are a lot of thefts. I've gone from pillar to post for job, brought up my sons single-handedly but no one listens. — Prema, Area Resident While the Congress had promised removal of drugs from Punjab within a month of coming to power, at Qazi Mandi, the drug problem has grown by leaps and bounds. While majority of area residents deal in scrap, many families clandestinely indulge in the sale of drugs. Residents allege anyone speaking out is charged with false cases. A potholed dusty lane leads into the area which has shady kiosks and stalls on both sides - selling, chicken, fish and vegetables. On the other side is the Domoria flyover with rail lines brimming over with heaps of garbage under it. Residents say many families sell all kinds of cheap drugs in stalls lined up by the roadside in the evenings. Physican Dr Bhajan Kherpa, who runs a clinic at Qazi Mandi for the past over 20 years, says, "There has been a rise in HIV cases in the area. It seems associated with drugs. There was a huge garbage mound at the very outset which was removed with the help of leader Chandan Grewal. But under rail tracks, garbage still stays. Governments come and go, but the area is steeped in garbage and filth. There are thefts and fights. In the evening, it is not possible for residents to step out. All roadwork projects have failed to take off. It is a living hell." Prema, who lost her husband (a MC safai sewak) several years ago, lives with her mother Kanchan Devi and has been fighting in court for getting a job in MC after her husband's demise. Outside her house, an array of BJP, AAP and Congress posters have been put up. Prema says, "My husband died but I'm yet to get a job. I do business but it's not enough to make ends meet. Due to drug problem, there are a lot of thefts. I've gone from pillar to post for job, brought up my sons single-handedly but no one listens. They stick posters but didn't bother to ask our problems." Hardev Singh (80) sits playing cards with his friends, he says, "Politicians have duped us as we go from bad to worse. In the evening, people line up to buy drugs here. Our roads are broken and sewage is choked. Neither previous MLAs listened, nor the present ones." Nagma, 25, has been calling the councillor and the MLA to complain of choked sewage. When AAP workers came to stick flags in her gully, she abused them. She says, "My bathroom is choked. My kid is sick. I'm poor, but had to spend Rs200 to get my bathroom cleaned. No one has bothered to listen to us. The drug problem is a menace." Media files: 2022_2$largeimg_1228584875.JPG

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions.