10 years on, development graph wavy at Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher’s adopted village

While ₹2 crore have been pumped in to set up a community centre, veterinary sub-station and sports complex, the village’s still battling with broken roads, repeated waterlogging, unsanitary conditions and non-functional street lights
In 2014, in her first stint as a parliamentarian, newly elected Chandigarh member of Parliament Kirron Kher had ceremonially adopted Sarangpur village, promising a never-seen-before transformation.
But 10 years later, the reality paints a mixed picture, with shoddy civic amenities and unfulfilled tourist hub dreams, despite substantial funds being poured in.
The 200-year-old village, home to around 5,000 people, had greeted its adoption with great optimism and hope. A decade on, the unfulfilled promise of a complete makeover has left residents feeling peeved.
Nestled next to Dhanas and Khudda Lahora on the Punjab border, Sarangpur was adopted by the MP under the 2014 Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY).
Kher, who continued to oversee the village’s development after being re-elected in 2019, spent close to ₹2 crore on its revamp ever since. But the funds have not translated into the village’s growth, belying the MP’s claim of BJP being a party with a difference.
Before the Partition, almost half of the village population was Muslim and the rest was Sikh. After 1947, most of the Muslims shifted to Pakistan.
Villages rue unfulfilled promises
Villagers say that during her first tenure, Kher got a community centre, veterinary sub-station and sports complex constructed, but in the second term, she hardly visited the village.
She also promised to make the village a tourist hub, earmarking 15 acres for it, but nothing changed, they say. “Space was also earmarked for a common parking area, but we are still awaiting requisite clearances and work on the ground,” a resident says.
On her part, Kher says, “In my first tenure, I undertook several development works, including the construction of a community centre, veterinary sub-station and sports complex. In the second tenure, we could not have continued focusing on the same village. But despite the Covid-19 pandemic and my health issues, I made sure all basic amenities were provided in all villages of Chandigarh.”
However, during a visit to the village, the HT team discovered broken roads, heaps of garbage, ill-maintained parks and non-functional streetlights.
Ajmer Singh, a villager, says, “When the MP adopted the village, we were very excited about her redevelopment promises. But our excitement fizzled down to disappointment as not much development work has been done. Many civic issues, including improper rainwater drainage, unsanitary conditions, broken roads and non-functional street lights still persist.”
Another villager Kaka Singh rues that a major issue ailing the village is its low level, which causes inflow of rainwater from the main road. “Yet, the fact that the village needs a proper drainage system remains forgotten. Every monsoon, Sarangpur is the worst affected in terms of waterlogging. At some points, road gullies are even broken and manholes are lying open. They are an open invitation to tragedy, but the authorities seem to be unconcerned.”
Area councillor Ram Chander Yadav, who is from AAP, claims MP Kher hardly visited the village in the past one decade. “She got the community centre constructed, but the roof is made of tin sheets, making it unsuitable for use in harsh summer temperatures. Even the sports complex is in a poor shape and no one uses it,” he says.
Nominated MC councillor Satinder Singh Sidhu, who is from the same village, says, “Four generations of my family have lived in the village and have seen it growing. Several development works have been undertaken in the past 10 years. Certain small issues, pertaining to basic amenities, are pending and have to be tackled by the municipal corporation or Chandigarh administration.”
In December 2018, Sarangpur was among city’s 13 villages that came under the ambit of Chandigarh MC.
Special tourism cluster project fails to take off
Around two years back, the Union ministry of tourism, under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, had also picked Sarangpur among over 55 destinations in various states and UTs. It was touted to be developed as a special tourism cluster, but the plan has so far failed to take shape.
The special tourism cluster was proposed to offer products, services, activities and experiences along the tourism value chain, woven around the MICE (meeting, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) infrastructure.
The ministry had also appointed L&T Infra and PwC as project development consultants, but they have yet to kick-start the work.
In my first tenure, I undertook several development works. In the second tenure, we could not have continued focusing on the same village. But despite the Covid-19 pandemic and my health issues, I made sure all basic amenities were provided in all villages of Chandigarh.