MLA counts achievements, public say he never visited them after win

Disabled girl among victims of broken promises

Sanjeev K. Sharma
JAMMU: Public is mostly critical of the working by MLA Gandhi Nagar, Kavinder Gupta, of the dissolved J&K Assembly, though few pockets in the constituency hailed him. Gupta had served as Deputy Chief Minister and Assembly Speaker.
It is pertinent to mention here that Gandhi Nagar is the biggest Assembly constituency in J&K State with posh localities of Green Belt area in Gandhi Nagar, Trikuta Nagar etc as some of the areas to include along with rural belt of Chatha and its adjoining areas.
The constituency extends till Ballol Bridge near Rohi Morh on R S Pura road at one side to beyond Kalu Chack till the bridge linking to Bari Brahmana area on the other side.
Though areas like Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Nanak Nagar and Trikuta Nagar had minor issues, there are complaints of poor water supply in Channi, Bhatindi and other adjoining areas.
However, problems seem to be unending in the semi-rural belt of the constituency with areas like Gadigarh, Bhour Camp, Chatha etc.
A direct public interaction revealed that the ground reality of working of the MLA had sky differences with what he used to claim.
Apart from this, certain shocking facts also came to fore which included a cruel joke of breaking political promise with none else than a physically challenged girl and an important public health institution, though ready to use for the last some years, has not been devoted to the public as it still awaits a formal inauguration.
While interacting with the public at random, 24 years old Pavneet Kour-a physically unwell girl at Chatha Farm area made a shocking disclosure wherein the MLA victimized her by not keeping his pre-poll promise.
A student of class 11, Pavneet can’t walk properly since her birth.
“During campaigning she was promised a specially designed Scooty, meant for the physically challenged people, by the then contesting candidate of BJP-Kavinder Gupta whom we voted to victory after which he was elevated to the rank of Legislative Assembly (LA) Speaker and finally Deputy Chief Minister of J&K before the LA was put under suspended animation and was ultimately dissolved,” Kiranjeet Kour-mother of Pavneet informed.
“After winning the elections Kavinder Gupta never returned even to say thanks to the people,” Kiranjeet Kour further said adding that Gupta had even promised that if the Social Welfare Department failed to give the Scooty then he will sanction the same from his Constituency Development Fund.
Strange was the situation at Bhour Camp area where the people were against the MLA but wished anonymity in telling problems.
A 50 years old Sikh man who claimed to be having Army background said that the tube-well in the area has a small bore which supplies water in insufficient quantity than what is required there. He said that a big bore tube-well is required in the area.
He further said that road in the area is in extremely bad shape and a playground at the Higher Secondary School there mostly remains flooded by water from a nearby Nallah especially during rainy days.
“A protection wall at the Nallah is immediately required but when the MLA has failed to visit our area whom should we tell our problems,” he rued.
Kundan Lal, 62- of Rohi Morh, a retired MES official who is a PoJK refugee expressed dismay over the working of the MLA.
“His performances on ground were not more than peanuts while there was ‘sky as the limit’ in his poll promises,” he said referring to the Kavinder Gupta.
He expressed anger as far as cleanliness and sanitation in the area is concerned.
At Gandhi Nagar area, Aru, 30-a business man said that he was satisfied with the working of the MLA as he has done everything in the area well in time.
“All developments are in place while water and power supply are proper and cleanliness is daily checked,” he maintained.
Similar were the views of a housewife Simran Kour, 47 of Nanak Nagar who too expressed satisfaction with the working of the MLA though she said there is water problem in summers.
However, a youth Gurmeet Singh in the same locality said that there is a high terror of stray dogs and these canines have many times injured children and the MLA had done nothing in this regard.
At Trikuta Nagar too, a housewife Santosh Padha, 62 hailed the works of Kavinder Gupta as an MLA and said that the area has every facility with proper roads, proper water and power supply etc.
However, all was not well at Gorakh Nagar area of Bahu Fort where a 65 years old Shyam Thapa-a retired defence personnel informed that they compare Kavinder with his predecessor Raman Bhalla to say that he is not an iota of that.
“Bhalla used to visit our area even on minor complaints while Kavinder has no time to visit and says to meet him in his office,” he said adding if he had no time as he was on the important post of Speaker, he might had directed his political workers to see public problems and report him, which was not done.
He also said that roads were properly repaired earlier while in Kavinder’s era only patch works were done on damaged roads while tiles in the lanes were of Bhalla’s tenure and Kavinder not even bothered to get the damaged tiles repaired or replaces.
However, he lauded BJP-PDP regime for improving power scenario in the area.
When contacted, ex-MLA Kavinder Gupta said that he daily used to visit areas of his constituency without any break and claimed that he also has a record of all such visits.
He said that it is wrong to say that he never visited his people and not devoted time to them as, he claimed, he daily sit in his office for three hours to listen problems of his people.
“Some opposition supporters are there to oppose me but I can’t do anything for that,” he said adding that in recently concluded Rural Local Bodies elections his three Sarpanches and 16 Panches have won from five Panchayat Halqas.
Gupta counted his works like Rs. 6.5 crore Park at the bank of canal near MBS College and also a road there.
“The Chatha road was made by me and there was no road there earlier for the last 30 years. In my tenure two bridges were constructed at Raipur Satwari and a bridge to the tune of Rs eight crore was build near MBS college on Bishnah-Babliana road,” he further said.
He continued: “Rs 130 crore were spent on Jammu Airport, Rs 110 crore got sanctioned for Jammu Railway Station, 14,000 new electric poles, 780 new power transformers were given in the constituency. Also 670 km road has been constructed in Gandhi Nagar constituency along with smart lights.”
He also said that from Kunjwani to Sidhra Rs 385 crore Nallahs have been sanctioned and apart from this seven flyovers have also been sanctioned in the constituency.
“About 20 km big Nallahs were constructed in areas like Channi, Trikuta Nagar, Gangyal, Nanak Nagar, Qasim Nagar etc,” Kavinder Gupta maintained.
“Almost daily I remained engaged in some or the other activity,” he further said.
On bad roads at Bhatindi he said that there was no road earlier in Bhatindi area and claimed that it was he who got roads constructed there.

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