Sukhmeet Bhasin
This backward area, located on the border with Haryana, has faced the wrath of the Ghaggar umpteen times.
Past trend
Voters of this seat have been choosing between the families of SAD leader Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Congress’ Ajit Inder Singh Mofar. In the past 12 elections since 1967, the Bhunder family has won the seat six times and the Mofars thrice.
Electorate strength
Total voters – 1,80,882
Male – 95,762
Female – 85,117
Third gender – 3
Locals’ key demands
- Making Ghaggar pollution-free
- Clean water supply in villages
- Better health facilities
- Curb on liquor smuggling
During monsoon, the raging river often floods adjoining areas. Sardulgarh has witnessed floods in 1966, 1988, 1993, 1995 and 2010.
Industrial pollution has turned the river, and even groundwater, black at some places. As a result, residents of more than two dozen villages, continue to get the polluted water in the absence of waste treatment by factories.
Another problem is a severe shortage of canal water for drinking and irrigation in the villages located at the tail-end. Many villages are also grappling with lack of health and education facilities.
Moreover, the constituency has only one sub-divisional hospital, but it does not have specialist doctors. Hence, residents have to go to private hospitals in Mansa or Sirsa in Haryana. Locals claimed all politicians had made promises to make Ghaggar pollution-free, but nobody did anything.
Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Sardulgarh, said, “Unpleasant smell comes from the Ghaggar due to pollution. One cannot stand near it for more than a few minutes. Cancer and skin diseases are common in adjoining villages.”
Polluted Ghaggar major concern
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