Jalandhar, May 21: Amid allegations and counter-allegations between the two main parties, the SAD and the Congress, the real issues affecting residents of the bypoll-bound Shahkot Assembly constituency seem to have taken a backseat.
Farming being the main occupation in this rural seat, it is the muskmelon growers of the area who are affected the most. The constituency houses Roopewal, Asia’s largest muskmelon market, which has lost almost all its fruit this year after the recent hailstorm. Farmers rue that despite huge damage, no one bothered to assess their loss or given any assurance to them for providing relief.
Vicky Bajwa of Bajwa Kalan village, 10 km from Roopewal, said: “Muskmelon growers here have been badly affected. This is the season that they always look forward to as traders from all over the country visit the local mandi for purchases, but this year, the output is very low. Despite this, no leader has visited us.”
An Independent candidate, Naib Singh, the namesake of the Akali candidate, hails from Seechewal village, which is a part of the muskmelon belt. He has taken “watermelon” as his poll symbol. “I am contesting the election for the farmers of my area. We don’t get good rates in the market. Our crop has got hit this time,” he said, adding that no party was raking up the issue.
Environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal, who, too, hails from the constituency, says, “For me, the biggest issue of Shahkot is the cancer-affected villages, located along the Sutlej and Chitti Bein. The incidence of the dreaded disease is high because of untreated, chemical-laden effluent being discharged by factories in Ludhiana and Jalandhar into the water bodies.”
Asked if he felt that illegal mining was an issue too, he said: “I think the entire mining policy is faulty. The government should promote mining from the beds of the rivers. The beds have got raised so much because of sedimentation that the water level in rivers remain high, making them prone to flooding.”
The issues of no college and playgrounds in Shahkot, too, are common in the discussions.
Muskmelon growers’ plight
The constituency houses Roopewal, one of the largest muskmelon markets in Asia, which has lost almost all its fruit this year after the recent hailstorm. Farmers rue that despite huge damage, no one bothered to assess their loss or given any assurance to them for providing relief.
Sourced from The Tribune
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