Punjab polls 2022: In the battle for Amritsar, issues no political party is talking about

As leaders make new promises this election, the old ones seem to have been forgotten. Tribune correspondent Neha Saini and photojournalist Sunil Kumar highlight some of the biggest issues that no one is talking about in this election season

The battle lines have been drawn and stakes been claimed. Campaigning has become shriller and high-pitched, but burning issues have been sidelined once again. Several elections have gone by, but core problems being faced by citizens of Amritsar remain unchanged, with no solution in sight. Here are just a few of these issueshellip;

The Bhagtanwala dump was a burning poll issue a few years ago, but not anymore!

Bhagtanwala dump yard

Once a main issue in almost every election, it remains unresolved till date. The shifting of the dump yard remained a matter of several discussions and debates in previous elections. Residents are facing health hazard and several attempts at waste management at the dump yard through scientific methods have failed numerous times. Interestingly, this time, this issue is not on the list of any political candidate vying for votes.

Vehicles trespass the BRTS lane, which is a major cause of accidents along the route on GT Road.

Multipurpose sports stadium

Another lost and never found project is the ambitious multipurpose sports stadium in the E Block of Ranjit Avenue. The foundation stone of the stadium was laid in 2011. The proposed facility was to have a cricket ground, an athletics track and a football ground, besides lawn tennis courts. Currently, the site has turned into a dump yard with no new announcement made about its future.

The biggest problem the city faces is never-ending traffic jams. Traffic bottlenecks at every major intersection add to commuters’ woes.

Crumbling traffic mgmt

Another major issue that seems to have not caught any political candidate’s attention is the crumbling traffic management and parking woes in the city. Owing to lack of parking spaces and proper traffic management, traffic jams and congestion have become a nuisance for citizens. All major intersections and commercial places have become major traffic bottlenecks, almost making it difficult to drive a two-wheeler or four-wheeler. Lack of parking spaces in major commercial centres such as Hall Bazaar, Katra Jaimal Singh, Telephone Exchange, Karmo Deohri, Guru Bazaar Shastri Market, Raja Market, Katra Ahluwalia, Majith Mandi, Loon Mandi, Daal Mandi, etc., have only added to the woes, with haphazardly parked vehicles eating away the roads meant for commuting.

Residents of colonies like Inderpuri have to live amid overflowing sewers and piles of garbage.

Sewerage woes

The issues of garbage disposal and broken sewers are a pain in the neck for residents. Almost all constituencies in Amritsar face this issue. Big political names winning from these constituencies have failed to provide solutions to such basic problems. Illegal encroachments have only grown and without any check.