GMC-Canal Road poorly lit, lacks divider
Sanjeev K. Sharma
JAMMU: The ever-busy road from Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu to a popular ice cream vend adjoining the canal at Shakti Nagar in Ward number 28 still awaits proper lights and a divider while it is now more than four years when the elected members to the popular Urban Local Body of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) had assumed their offices with promises of unforeseen revolution in development scenario.
Exposing this along with many other works which fell victim to the official red tape and poor funding, Gourav Chopra, Councillor of Ward number 28 said under the nose of the authorities, Ward’s Bakshi Nagar area has become a hub of diagnostic laboratories which has now resulted in vehicle parking problems and long traffic jams.
In an exclusive interaction with the Excelsior, Chopra, who initially remained with Congress but has now joined the newly floated Democratic Azad Party, said authorities should check permission of these diagnostic labs.
He also said that he is a first time Councillor and his Ward includes Bakshi Nagar, Bakshi Nagar Gurah, Kasim Nagar, Rajput Mohalla, Bakshi Nagar Rolki, Sardar Mohalla and some portion of Shakti Nagar.
“There are seven Nallahs (big deep drains) in my Ward which needs immediate repair as these are causing the adjoining houses to sink and the water of these Nallahs intrude into RRL premises during rainy season,” Chopra said.
He informed that when he was elected as a Councillor in the year 2018 there were issues of repair of lanes and drains along with the demand of a toilet at main bazaar of Bakshi Nagar while the power and water supply was also not proper in the area and the water was supplied after 2-4 days.
“The problem of stray animals still exists in the Ward like before while the street-lights need repair as out of the 900 installed lights, 300 are faulty and the online number to register a complaint in this regard does not function properly,” Chopra claimed adding: “In the absence of street lights, cases of thefts and snatching in the Ward have increased while there are many drug peddlers and addicts active in the area.”
“The newly installed Smart Power Meters have triggered public outrage as they fetch hefty bills while at many places power consumed by the street-lights is accounted in the domestic bills of adjoining households,” he maintained adding: “The problem of water crisis still exists in the Ward with Gurah Bakshi Nagar worst hit by this.”
Chopra informed that almost every person in his Ward has now been covered under Ayushman Card scheme while camps still continue for the left over population and camps for Aadhar and Voter Cards are also being organised in the Ward to facilitate the public.
“During my present tenure of Councillor, I made a Community Hall at Rajput Mohalla with a budget of Rs. 50 lakh, developed a Park in Gurah Bakshi Nagar by spending Rs. 25 lakh and spent Rs. 5 lakh each on two Parks while Rs. 15 lakh were spent on a Park near Police Station,” he continued.
The Councillor also said that 60 per cent of the work of lanes and drains has been completed in the Ward while the remaining could not be done due to paucity of funds.
He said that in the ongoing dengue epidemic fogging has been done in the Ward but not in a proper way due to the official apathy.
“During COVID-19 pandemic triggered lockdown we distributed ration among the needy people and got many houses in the Ward sanitised and now almost entire of my Ward has been vaccinated for COVID-19,” Chopra claimed.
He said that JMC should start regularising unrecognised colonies and should also ease the procedures for shop owners to construct another shop over the existing one so that the unemployment problem may reduce to some extent and the money which otherwise goes to the enforcement officers may go in JMC accounts.
Chopra also said that presently the elders, widows and physically challenged persons are facing problems in getting pension from Social Welfare Department due to the newly introduced regulation for these pensions exclusively to Below Poverty Line (BPL) people.
He also said that people are also facing problem in getting BPL ration cards.
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