Constituency visits during the turbulent
times of electioneering normally end up in typical
journalese of x versus y with a,b,c votebanks dynamics. But
they could also be an opportunity to bring to the fore some
real issue. In the 2004 Parliamentary election in Patiala, a
river roared through the campaign, but was little noticed by
journalists till The Indian Express published this despatch.
My thanks are due to Mr Yogender Mohan of The Indian Express
who helped me on this visit with constituency contours, and
also to Jasmine Sandhu Sandhawalia who had helped fix many
an appointment.
Ghaggar roars in Patiala seat as Preneet tries to win on river front
S P Singh
SHATRANA (PATIALA)
FOR decades has Ghaggar river flown unquiet in this land royale, swelling up to swallow lands, crops, cattle and men with unfailing regularity. So frequent has been the destruction unleashed by the river, and so gigantic the dimensions of the problems posed, that the menace had almost joined that long list of issues which are drummed about but never addressed: poverty, illiteracy, population and Ghaggar.
But this time, in the high stakes do-or-die political joust between a Maharani of Congress and Mr Clean of Akali Dal, Ghaggar has rose once again on to Patiala Lok Sabha constituency's political agenda. Hedged in by rank dissidence exhibited by some of her own party MLAs, and failing to hit out at SAD's Kanwaljit Singh with the patented Congress’ weapon of anti-corruption, Maharani Preneet Kaur is now going all out, trying to drown Akali fortunes on the swollen river front.
Ghaggar has long been the grammar of politics in Patiala but this time, it is coming in handy for Preneet to show something tangible on her report card if not on the ground as yet. Thanks to her husband running the state government, Preneet has been able to convince NABARD to lend Rs 148 crore to tame the river with embankments, check dams, drains and canalisation. “But the money started flowing in only after the Central Water Commission gave a No Objection Certificate. First instalment of Rs 33 crore has come in, Rs 65 crore more is in the pipeline,” said Maharani.
But the real story continues to be the thousands and thousands of people who wait every year for the floods, resigned to the helplessness which comes as a matter of habit for children of a lesser God.
Of Patiala’s nine Assembly segments, Ghaggar River heaps destruction and chaos upon five: Banur, Ghanaur, Dakala, Shatrana and Lehra. But since a river in rage does not recognize constituency demarcations, the flood waters cause similar destruction in areas of Sangrur and Mansa also.
“Nearly 300 villages are badly affected every year,” conceded Preneet Kaur. Entire Patran-Moonak belt takes a swollen Ghaggar on its chin, and it shows. Gurdialpur, Nanhera, Dabha-Chaba, Kheri, Ratneri. The list of villages which drown every year is endless. Right from Patran to Khanori and till Moonak, Ghaggar dances its tandava avatar. Basehra, a major village spread out on both sides of Ghaggar mid-way between Patran and Moonak simply vanishes off the face of Patiala to go under water, as does Mandvi in Lehra. But Dakala continues to be the most affected.
People have learnt to live with false promises, and the resolve comes in the form of big karahas (huge vessels) which they use as life saving boats when waters come gushing in. Or it comes in the form of a voluntary effort as gigantic as the problem: people of Makorarr village, 15 km from Patran, are famed for conjuring up a sand-bag bandh running across the village to keep angry swirling waters in control. It takes thousands to build the bandh and they make it possible every year.
Renowned water resources expert G.S.Dhillon had sometime back advised canalization of Ghaggar, including a medium-height dam near Mubarakpur (Dera Bassi) with a pricetag of Rs 450 crore and potential of meeting even Chandigarh’s water requirements. Nothing much happened.
Government apathy is matched by voluntary efforts elsewhere too. Till date, not a single bridge has been built by the government. But kar sewa babas of Punjab have lined up a dozen of them, one every few kilometers, punctuating the Ghaggar with bridges at Badshahpur, Arnetu, Urlana, Rasoli, Harchanpure Wale, Ratta Khera, Marrori Wala and elsewhere.
While Preneet also credits fellow MPs Simranjit Singh Mann and late Bhan Singh Bhaura of backing her in raising the issue in Parliament and ramming through the Ghaggar taming project, Kanwaljit is not taking upon her directly even though his party’s Prem Singh Chandumajra has relentlessly pursued the issue. But then, internal party politics is more potent than even a swollen river. Preneet is trying to swim Patiala by riding Ghaggar, praying that Kanwaljit drowns in it.
(April 22, 2004)