In May 2021, then-CM Captain Amarinder Singh-led Congress Government gave a ‘gift’ to the Muslims in Punjab by declaring Muslim-majority Malerkotla as a district. The party promised it during the 2017 state elections, and the poll promise was fulfilled months before the scheduled Assembly elections. People of Malerkotla, which has a 68.5 per cent Muslim population followed by 20.70 per cent Muslims and only 9.49 per cent Sikhs (2011 Census), expected to see changes at a massive scale after it became a district. However, over two years have passed, and nothing notably has changed for the youngest district.
According to an exclusive ground report by The Indian Express, Malerkotla town is waiting for doctors, roads and better schools. The basic amenities in the newly formed district are far from reality, and people have started it calling ‘naam ka zila’ or ‘district for the namesake’.
The painful state of the civil hospital
The ordeal of the poor and marginalised who visit the government hospitals for treatment shows the crumbling healthcare system in the state. Aam Aadmi Party, which promises a better healthcare system, has not appointed doctors and healthcare staff in the civil hospital. Indian Express report noted that all ten Emergency Medical Officers (EMOs) posts are vacant. There is only one specialist doctor that has to handle emergencies all day.
On paper, there are 27 posts of doctors, out of which 15 are vacant. There should be 32 nurses, but the hospital has only 17. Out of 25 ward attendants, 11 are yet to be hired. In a statement, senior medical officer (SMO) Dr Jagjit Singh said, “There’s extreme rush at the emergency as all posts of EMOs are currently vacant. A specialist doctor handles emergencies. However, we have already started free-of-cost treatment for TB, hepatitis and other diseases as per norms for district-level hospitals.” He also serves as the gynaecologist.
The patients lined up till 2 PM every day, and most of them were sent back to come the next day. Even after getting tests done and being diagnosed with diseases like Hepatitis C, patients have to wait for days for their turn and get a subscription for the medicine.
Submerged roads and potholes
The roads of the town are no better. There is a ‘labour mandi’ in the city where the daily wagers stand every day, hoping to get hired. That “mandi” is basically Malerkotla’s Dilli Gate, a road leading to the government schools. Even after two years of becoming a district, this road has not seen good days. It gets submerged in rainwater quickly, and people keep guessing where the potholes are while driving.
A handful of teachers and classrooms for over 2,000 students
Children living in a district expect better education but not the children of Malerkotla. There are 960 students in the government senior secondary school for boys. Due to the shortage of classrooms and teachers, they have to study in two shifts. Principal Aarti Gupta told Indian Express they are short of 15 classrooms, including laboratories. For 300 students in classes 11 and 12, there are only eight lecturers. AAP, which boasts its education policy, is yet to announce any new building for the school. “Currently, we haven’t been told of any plans for a new building for the school,” said Gupta.
Furthermore, a portion of the school has been vacated for the office of district education officer (DEO). Instead of making a new office, the education department decided to snatch away part of the school.
Coming to the Girl’s school, there are over 1,300 students who also study in two shifts due to the shortage of classrooms and teachers. Thankfully, a new building is coming up in the school, but it is unclear how long it will take to get constructed. Notably, there are only two rooms for 214 students of the primary school located in the Girls’ school. A new building for the primary school is yet to be announced.
When Capt Amarinder Singh declared Malerkotla as the 23rd district of Punjab, he announced an array of new projects. A new medical college with a budget of 400 crores, a new bus stand, a new degree college for girls, a new all-women police station and the restoration of Mubarak Manzil Palace were among the projects that were announced. All these projects are still on paper, gathering dust.
Deputy commissioner of Malerkotla Sanyam Aggarwal told Indian Express that the proposed medical college is a joint venture between the Government of India and Punjab. The centre has already sanctioned the first instalment of Rs 97 crore. However, Indian Express’s sources revealed that the AAP government is not pleased with the site the previous government proposed for the project and is looking for a new site, leading to unnecessary delay.
Aggarwal further added that the all-women police station was established in 2021, and the upgrade work worth Rs 30 lakh is underway. However, speaking of the new bus stand, she added that the state government is yet to release Rs 9 crore.
Congress blamed AAP for delays in projects
Congress leader and former Cabinet Minister Razia Sultana expressed her dismay over halted projects. She said, “We do not blame CM (Bhagwant Mann), but local AAP MLA (Mohammad Jamil Ur Rahman) for it. He has failed to take ahead projects which were already sanctioned, let alone get new ones. They (the AAP government) are now trying to create hurdles in the medical college project even though the site was already finalised. Earlier, we had at least 23 doctors at a local hospital, which has reduced to half.”
Before AAP came to power, work for girls’ colleges and government schools had been started by the previous government. However, now the work has been stagnant. She said, “They had even failed to operationalise the girls’ college and government school for which work was already started before AAP came. Not a single new penny has been sanctioned in two years.” Her husband and former DGP Mohammed Mustafa said, “It is all due to the incompetency of the local MLA who has been a party hopper for his life. From SAD to BSP to Congress to AAP, he has been everywhere for want of a ticket.”
On the other hand, AAP MLA Rehman claimed the projects are underway in the town. He said, “We have got a new 66KW power grid approved, and there won’t be any power issues for the next 40 years. Site selection work for medical college is in progress. Buildings for new girls’ colleges and schools are near completion. I have got Rs 8 crore sanctioned for the refurbishment of streets and kutcha roads in outer areas of the town and another one crore for roads and sewage overall. Since 50% of the Kamboj Muslim community here depends on vegetable farming, we plan a food processing unit to procure their produce.”
While leaders, administration and state government are moving slowly, the locals in the youngest district of Punjab are yet to see any notable changes on the ground.
