Chandigarh: Better upkeep of roads, parks on wish list of ward 23 residents

In some areas, water supply is also an issue; those owning CHB houses are also struggling with need-based changes

Ward number 23 is a ward reserved for women which comprises Sectors 34, 35 and 43. Sectors 34 and 35 were a part of Ward number 15 as per the previous system while Sector 43 was clubbed with Kajheri and Sector 52 in ward number 12. An urban ward with little space for colonies and villages, residents here complain of bad roads and cleanliness issues.

Ward 23: Overgrown grass on a vacant plot, which has also turned into a garbage dump, near the Markfed building in Sector 35, Chandigarh. (Gurtej Singh/HT)

With Sector 43 finally coming into an “urban” ward, chairman of Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) Hitesh Puri who also lives in Sector 43 said, “Earlier, the councillor would usually get elected from Sector 52 and focused more on rural development. Now, we want development on a scale similar to Sector 34 and 35 here. Water supply is a major issue here as water does not reach upper floors. The next councillor must develop new parks in the sector so that children have a place to play in. The open-air gyms installed in the sector must also be maintained better.”

There is also a patch of land in front of the housing board houses here which is yet to be developed. Puri complained that the growth of plants here goes unchecked and becomes a problem during monsoons. Similarly, in Sector 34 also, the land in front of Sector 34 gurudwara has been left vacant for many years. At both these places, residents want beautification work.

Residents of Sector 34 say many of their problems have been addressed since the local area councillor Ravinder Kaur Gujral also lives here.

Speaking about this MS Bhalla, president of the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) here said, “Earlier, we didn’t have a Sampark centre here which was a big problem for many seniors living in this sector but it has been built and a tubewell was also installed to improve the water pressure here. However, the population of stray dogs is increasing despite efforts by the authorities. This should be a priority with the councillor. We also had issues with roads and were told by the MC that they would only be recarpeted after five years. The next councillor must ask this rule be checked or better material be used for re-carpeting of roads. More coordination is also needed between the sweepers and the MC horticulture officials. Horticulture waste isn’t picked up regularly.”

Another resident of Sector 34, Wing Commander NS Malhi (retd) added that some residents still continue to face problems with water supply even after the installation of the new tubewell.

Sector 35 has many houses built by the Chandigarh Housing Board, all of which are struggling with the need-based changes policy as per Federation of Sector Welfare Associations Chandigarh (FOSWAC) general secretary JS Gogia who is also a resident of this Sector.

“The next councillor must be outspoken about providing relief to these houses in Sector 35-B. The amount of taxes we have to pay to the MC keeps on increasing but their services are getting worse. The new system of garbage collection and water supply has mostly failed and the next councillor must improve this for us,” he added.

BJP president for ward number 23 Preeti Verma, who also lives in Sector 35, said, “The current councillor had got into unnecessary controversy over inaugurating projects which the administration had built. The Sector 35 community centre, which was supposed to be revamped, has stayed defunct for years now. On Dakshin Marg, garbage is being dumped along Sector 35 and the Sehaj Safai Kendra here also lies in bad shape.”

Saying that the community centre was being revamped because it had turned into a den for anti-social activities, councillor here Ravinder Kaur Gujral said, “We were receiving complaints about people drinking and gambling here so it was renovated. It will be re-inaugurated soon. There are around 140 parks in the ward and all of them have open air gyms now and I constructed toilets for senior citizens who go for walks here. The open spaces in Sector 34 are under the administration but I would still ask the MC officials to clean the area routinely.”

Know your ward

Reserved for women candidates

Ward areas: Sector 34, Sector 35 and Sector 43

Voter count: 14,500 (approximately)

Key issues:

1. Poorly maintained vacant land in sectors.

2. Recarpeting of roads not being done frequently.

3. Water supply is poor in this ward. Residents living on the first and second floor suffer the most.

Local voices:

The population of stray dogs must be checked. MC horticulture wing officials also need to clear horticulture waste from parks here more frequently.

MS Bhalla, 74, president of the Sector 34 RWA

2. The water supply in our Sector is poor. We need more parks for children to play in. Beautification of the vacant land in the Sector is needed.

Hitesh Puri (62) chairman of CRAWFED, resident of Sector 43

3. The next councillor must help residents of CHB houses seek solutions for need-based changes. The new garbage collection system introduced by the MC needs to be streamlined.

JS Gogia (76) general secretary of FOSWAC, resident of Sector 35

4. The roads in Sector get repaired infrequently and are in bad shape. The MC needs to take better care of parks and the Sector 35 community centre must be opened soon.

Pulkit Sharma (25) resident of Sector 35