Ludhiana: Drug menace top agenda for Phullanwal voters during panchayat polls

For the voters in Phullanwal village, the growing drug menace was at main agenda as they queued up to cast their votes for the panchayat elections on Tuesday.
The polling for the village that lies on the outskirts of the city was held at the local government school.
The village has around 3,500 registered voters and 1,849 turned up for polling till the time of filing o this report.
“Drug addicts are a pain for all of us. Youngsters loafing away after consuming drugs is commonplace. Physical altercations between addicts are such a bane,” laments 65-year-old Surinder Kaur as she waits in line top exercise her right to franchise.
“They have broken the streetlights at multiple places. They break covers and steal the bulbs to sell them to get money for drugs,” she adds.
Even in the run up to the elections, curbing drug use and trade was among the main poll planks for both the sarpanch candidates, Amandeep Singh and Jaswant Singh.
Kaur says that the village has become a centre for addicts from nearby areas, who come here buy drugs.
Jaswant Singh said that is he is elected as sarpanch, he will ensure that those selling drugs are booked and put behind bars
“This is pan-Punjab problem. We may not be able to stop people from turning to drugs but as village leaders, we have eyes on the ground to know who sells the contraband, We can ensure that strict action is taken against them,” he added.
Another issue that was on the back of voters’ minds was the outer road that they say has been in a state of neglect for a long time.
“There has been no proper arrangement for developmental works . The roads came undone long ago and despite the villagers’ constant demands, they remain neglected,” said candidate Amandeep Singh.
The village also has a significant population of immigrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, who are now registered voters here.
“There is a lot to be done. The roads and streets are dilapidated in most places. That should be fixed on priority,” said 45-year-old Geeta Devi, who hails from Chhapra in Bihar and has been living here for a decade now.