JMC cares for Ward 42 even after Councillor passes away

People remember Vijay Choudhary as public caring leader

Sanjeev K Sharma

JAMMU, Jan 9: There is something praiseworthy about Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) as for the last one and half year, when Vijay Choudhary-the elected Councillor from Ward number 42-passed away, the Urban Local Body is taking proper care of developmental needs in her Ward.
Vijay Choudhary had won JMC elections as an Independent candidate at a time when there was a strong Modi wave. In her interview with this journo in the year 2018 she had efficiently highlighted problems of her Ward after which she worked hard to get them resolved.
She also fought the election of JMC Mayor in the year 2018 as an Independent candidate but lost by just six votes and remained in opposition in the house of elected body of JMC.
Vijay Choudhary eloquently talked against Property Tax and grilled the then JMC Mayor over this issue.
Ward number 42 includes areas of Nanak Nagar from Sector 1 to 5.
During an interaction some of the locals of the Ward remembered Madam Vijay Choudhary as a soft spoken and public caring leader.
However, they informed that: “Loss of Vijay Choudhary can’t be fulfilled but her public friendly husband, Choudhary Manmohan Singh left no stone unturned to listen public problems and getting them resolved from the concerned authorities.”
Choudhary Manmohan Singh, Ex-JMC Mayor when contacted informed that whenever he took the issues of public to JMC, the Urban Local Body fully cooperated in resolving them.
However, he expressed resentment against construction of footpaths on both sides of roads in Gandhi Nagar area under Smart City project and said that it will further reduce the width of these roads.
Some widows, physically challenged and old age persons of the Ward still remember that Vijay Choudhary helped them in getting pensions but they expressed dismay that the newly introduced rule for these pensions exclusively to Below Poverty Line people is now creating problems for many deserving people.
More residents of the Ward informed that works of construction and repair of lanes and drain in the Ward are almost complete and same is the status of blacktopping work there.
Some pockets of the Ward have some cleanliness related problems and the residents there informed that number of Safai Karamcharis there is less than what is required.
A walk through the Ward showed that there is no Community Hall, no Public Parks, no playground, no parking place for vehicles and no public toilet.
Even sewerage work has not been started in the Ward and Smart Meters also have not been installed there.
It is pertinent to mention here that though more than four years of the mandatory tenure of five for the elected body of JMC have passed, many developmental works have not been completed yet while many of such works have even not seen the light of the day.
Residents of the Ward informed that they are comfortable with the autos moving from door-to-door collecting household garbage.
They said that the garbage auto service has almost finished the garbage dumps in the Ward.
More residents of the Ward informed that there are problem in their locality due to stray dogs as these canines litter here and there, bite people and chase two wheelers apart from having created a wave of terror among women, children and old age people.
They also said that almost all the residents of the Ward have made their Ayushman Cards and most of the eligible Voters have got their Voter Cards and Domicile Certificates and they gave much of the credit in this regard to their Councillor, Late Vijay Choudhary.
The Ward has some Water Coolers of which few were non-functional for which people of the area informed that these are repaired in summers, many-a-times by Choudhary Manmohan Singh by spending from own pocket.
“The Ward needs some high mast lights at some places and there are few drug addicts and peddlers active in the Ward for which the police should take a cognizance,” an elder from the Ward claimed.