Border village in Punjab awaits MP who can provide clean drinking water

In Pakka Chisti village, just a short distance away from Suleimanki border with Pakistan, 65-year-old Balbir Singh opens his mouth to show his rotting teeth. A rot which he claims has set in due to the poor quality of water which they have to drink.

“We are not alone to suffer this hell. There are ten villages around us who suffer the same fate. We have young children as small as five years with white hair, villagers suffering from cancer and hair falling out prematurely apart from rotting teeth,” says Balbir.

A water tank with thousands of gallons of capacity sits right in the middle of the village and there are water supply pipes visible but there is no water. “The pipes have rotted. The tank is empty,” say the villagers.

Each evening, the families of Pakka Chisti trudge to the border outpost of BSF right on the Indo-Pak border to get their supply of drinking water. “The BSF has a deep bore. They allow us to take water. This is how we survive,” says Kuldeep Singh who runs a ration depot in the village.

The villagers claim MPs have come and gone but no one has been able to solve their drinking water problem. Fazilka falls under Ferozepur Lok Sabha constituency. “Zora Singh Mann was MP from Ferozepur from Shiromani Akali Dal for three terms but nothing fructified beyond promises. Sher Singh Ghubaya of Congress was twice MP here when he was with SAD but did not do anything. As for sitting MP Sukhbir Singh Badal we have never even seen him here, “ says Kuldeep.

Gurmeet Singh, a tempo driver says plaster has been falling off the walls of their houses because of the high levels of bleaching of water. “Till now only BJP candidate Rana Gurmeet Sodhi has come this way for campaigning. Rest have not bothered to come and now only two days remain. But BJP will not get anything because villagers are not happy with them,” he says.

Balbir Singh, who has one son in the Army and two working in Punjabi movie industry as cameramen, says the village votes in a fractured manner. “Everyone gets votes here. Congress, SAD, AAP and even BJP. Canal water can be used to give us supply as has been done in some other villages. Par Gareeb di koyi nayi sunda jaldi (no one listens to the poor easily),” he says.

Back in Fazilka, hoardings and banners of all political parties are visible. Prominent are AAP posters showing Arvind Kejriwal depicted behind bars, BJP candidate’s photo with folded hand and Sukhbir Singh Badal announcing that Shiromani Akali Dal is Punjab’s own regional party.

Competing with these banners are those of coaching institutes for IELTS, PTE, Spoken english and immigration consultants promising study visa, business visa and tourist visa. The problems of border villages appear distant and alien. The hustle, bustle and energy of the city is far removed from the dejection on the faces of the residents of Pakka Chisti waiting for the basic necessity of clean drinking water.