On election day, voters in ward number 3, will go for a candidate who resolves the ever-increasing parking problem, works towards improving sanitation levels and upgrading the sewage system.

After the reorganisation of wards, most areas of the erstwhile ward 19, are now the constituents of the Ward 3. It includes Sector 26, Sector 26-E, EWS Colony, Bapu Dham Colony Phase 1, 2 and 3, Police Line (Sector 26) and Madrasi Colony (Sector 26). Transport area has been excluded from the new ward.

At the centre of the ward is one of the oldest clusters of housing created for economically weaker sections (EWS) of the society the Bapu Dham Colony phases 1, 2 and 3. Created more than 40 years ago, the colony has expanded over the year in different phases. The area came into limelight last year when it became the citys epicentre of Covid pandemic.

At the time of its inception, in fact even a decade ago, nobody visualised that people would face car parking problems. Even the planners didnt earmark parking space in EWS housing. But now the situation has changed dramatically --for the worse, said Harish Kumar, a local resident who runs a taxi.

Residents complain the community parking space in the community centre is not enough. It only provides space for 30-40 cars, and so most of the cars are parked either on the roadside or in small parks and there is no space left even for emergency vehicles to reach the interiors of the area, say residents.

An older problem for the area is the sewerage system. The sewerage system was recently re-laid. But in areas like phase 2 and 3, the sewage overflows and leakages still remain. Either the MC didnt complete the job systematically or the material used was substandard, said Prakash Singh, a resident who works in a factory in Baddi.

Health infrastructure also needs improvements in the area, say residents. Akash Shankar, an engineer and social activist, said, There is a dispensary in the mandi but for the large population of the area, it is inadequate. A health centre with better facility is required here.

A visit to the area indicates roads in most areas and outer parks are in relatively good shape. Though residents inform that these improvements have happened only in the last four or five months. The general sanitation and garbage collection system, say residents, leave much to be desired. Yogesh Arora, running a wholesale business in vegetable and fruits, says, MC garbage vans do come but the numbers are highly inadequate. People end up dumping their garbage in the open. Cleanliness should also be done more comprehensively in the area.

In the last elections, Dalip Sharma won as an independent candidate though later he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Yanki Kaliya, from opposition Congress party and a resident of Madrasi Colony, said, There is space available for additional parking but nothing was done on this. No major projects have come up. Other colonies have new community centres, sports complex, etc but here we have nothing.

Sharma, said, We have resolved most of the issues related to roads, sewage, parks and sanitation in the last five years. On the parking problems, he said, Earlier, there was no such problem, it has cropped up only recently. We will provide solution to it too.

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Chandigarh: Substandard living conditions irk voters of ward 3 - Hindustan Times