The Malerkotla mess: Welcome to Punjab’s smallest district where DC, SSP are ‘homeless’, ‘office-less’

The deputy commissioner office running from temporary premises. (Express photo: Gurmeet Singh)

“It has been at least 15 years since this road was last repaired. People keep filling potholes with soil,” says Mohammad Shaheen, 52. “Allah jaane kaise sirf naam ka zila hai ye (God knows what kind of district this is).”

Welcome to Malerkotla, Punjab’s youngest, smallest, and the only Muslim-majority district, where everyday life is a struggle not only for residents but also for the officers posted here.

‘Homeless, office-less’ DC and SSP

Malerkotla has earned a dubious distinction. Its top two administrative officers, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), are both without official residences or permanent offices. Four years after Malerkotla was carved out as Punjab’s 23rd district, neither the District Administrative Complex (DAC) nor basic institutional infrastructure exists.

The judiciary is also hamstrung. A sessions judge has not been posted because court infrastructure is insufficient.

The deputy commissioner office running from temporary premises. (Express photo: Gurmeet Singh)

Even as the AAP government considers declaring Anandpur Sahib as Punjab’s 24th district during Guru Tegh Bahadur’s 350th martyrdom anniversary, Malerkotla’s experience underscores how new districts announced as political gestures can become administrative burdens when not supported by planning or funding.

Malerkotla, previously part of Sangrur, was declared a district headquarters on May 14, 2021, by then chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh. But Sangrur remains embedded in Malerkotla’s functioning. Several key departments, including agriculture and food and civil supplies, continue operating from Sangrur with “additional charge” arrangements.

With no official residences available, the DC is currently staying at the PWD Guest House, the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) is living in the residence of a municipal executive officer, and the SSP is staying in a PWD executive engineer’s house. The DC and ADC are operating out of the Punjab State Tubewell Corporation building, while the SSP works from a space owned by the industries department.

Photo 4: An illegal garbage dump in Malerkotla (Express photo: Gurmeet Singh)

‘Land a major issue’

Sitting in his temporary office, ADC Sukhpreet Singh Sidhu acknowledges the situation.

“The main constraint has been land availability. Malerkotla, despite being an erstwhile princely state, has very limited government-owned land. Getting land transferred from various departments has taken time. But work will start soon,” he says.

The DAC project, costing Rs 111 crore, is proposed on the Tubewell Corporation land currently housing the temporary DC office. “It took 2.5 years to get the land transferred into the Revenue Department’s name. Map drawings have been sent to the Government of India for financial assistance,” he adds.

On the garbage crisis, he says: “Cleanliness is our responsibility, but community participation is crucial. We clean an area, but it is littered again within hours. We must inculcate habits of civic responsibility. Heavy monsoon rains also damaged roads, and tenders have been floated for repairs.”

Deputy Commissioner Viraj Shyamkarn Tidke says: “Delays have happened, but processes take time. Land transfer for several major projects is now complete. Two legacy garbage dumps are being cleared. The new medical college and 150-bed ESI Hospital are on track.”

SSP Gagan Ajit Singh says land has been acquired for new Police Lines, which will include the district police chief residence.

Malerkotla AAP MLA Jamil Ur Rahman says: “Some roads had not been repaired for 35 to 40 years. Tenders have now been floated. Womens’ college building will be handed over once boundary wall is completed. Land for the medical college and ESI hospital has been finalised. The DAC has received approval for Rs 111 crore.”

A senior district official, however, admits: “Hum khud sochte hain logon ne humein ab tak sadak par karke peeta kyu nahi. Humein bhi development nahi dikh rahi. Zila politicians ne banaya, humne nahi. (We ourselves wonder why people haven’t dragged us out and beaten us yet. We also don’t see the development. The district was created for political reasons, not administrative ones.)”

Other promised projects remain non-starters

Captain Amarinder Singh’s district announcement included a Rs 500-crore medical college, a new bus stand, a girls’ degree college, a Mahila thana, and restoration of the Mubarak Manzil Palace. Four years on, land has only recently been secured for the medical college. The girls’ college building remains incomplete, while the bus stand and palace restoration are yet to begin.

Why Malerkotla is different

Once a princely state founded by Afghan Sufi saint Sadruddin Sadar-i-Jahan, Malerkotla is Punjab’s only Muslim-majority town. According to the 2011 Census, the town’s population consists of 68.5 percent Muslims, 20.7 percent Hindus, and 9.49 percent Sikhs. Mosques, gurdwaras and temples stand in close proximity, reflecting a history of coexistence.