The village got a road after boycotting the 2022 civic polls, but other problems, including the lack of accessible public transport, schools, and hospitals, have not disappeared, say residents.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
Katewara, a tiny village in Bawana near the Delhi-Haryana border, was at the centre of media attention in December 2022 when its residents announced a poll boycott days before the municipal elections. The village dwellers were fed up with the authorities’ apathy towards basic civic amenities.
“It was a way of attracting the attention of the authorities and showing our anger. Through the poll boycott, we wanted those in power to care,” says Satish Khatri.
The village, which has around 3,000 voters, was successful. Soon after the civic elections, the then Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, visited the village and ordered the construction of the road, which now runs through Katewara.
“After 19 years of begging the authorities, we finally got a road. The episode taught us about what and how much to expect from our elected leaders,” the 55-year-old government employee adds.
While the village did get the road, its other problems, including the lack of accessible public transport, schools, and hospitals, have not disappeared.
‘Infra in doldrums’
Soaking in the afternoon sun, a group of women — Kamala Devi, Babli Devi, Kamlesh, Ratan Kaur, and Santosh — discuss their concerns. Around them flutter banners and flags of various parties and candidates. The calm of the sunny afternoon is punctuated by autorickshaws fitted with loudspeakers blaring out poll promises.
In her thick Haryanavi accent, Ms. Santosh says, “We have decided to vote this time. We want the elderly to get pension, our children to get jobs, and a functional drainage system.”
The women voters say they rely on Hindi newspapers for information as the internet connectivity here is quite weak. They are well aware of the poll promises and switchovers of all the significant leaders in their region.
Ms. Santosh adds that the village does not have a government school. “There’s not even a hospital nearby. A dispensary is located at some distance, but it shuts at 2 p.m. and has limited inventory. In cases of emergency, one has to wait for a cluster bus or borrow a neighbour’s car. Taxis and autos don’t ply here.”
The nearest metro station is 20 km away in Rithala, says Ms. Ratan Kaur. After a little thought, she adds, “We have a park here for children. But it has no swings.”
Sitting next to her, Ms. Kamlesh adds, “Political leaders make an appearance here only during elections. And then go missing for the next few years.”
“A centre to teach stitching was constructed here some time ago, after which many women began hoping to learn the skill and seek employment. But it never opened,” said Ms. Kamlesh.
The men wish for better roads, a crematorium, and a community centre.
| Photo Credit:
SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
Huddle around hookah
Meanwhile, in another part of the village, men talk about their issues over a hookah.
“There are factories in Bawana and Narela where many from here have found jobs, built a support network and helped others. This place can’t get a factory as it’s marked as a residential area,” says Dinesh Khatri. He works as a security guard at the IGI Airport and has to spend over an hour on cluster buses and metro trains to reach his workplace.
“Forget public transport access, there is just one government school in the vicinity, and that too is only up to Class 5. It is managed by a committee formed by the residents, comprising people from different castes,” the 31-year-old adds.
The men wish for better roads, a crematorium, and a community centre.
Katewara is part of the Bawana Assembly constituency. It has voted for and Aam Aadmi Party since 2015. The sitting legislator, Jai Bhagwan, is up against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Ravinder Kumar and the Congress’s Surender Kumar.
Published – January 31, 2025 01:33 am IST