Punjab might have a reputation for being a prosperous state, but the state of sanitation affairs in Jai Kumar’s community left him the lucky survivor of a bout of gastroenteritis, leaving a trail of death and despair in its wake. What it also left behind was ‘Gastroenteritis Plagues Ludhiana’s Poor’, Jai’s IndiaUnheard video that prompted district health official to send…

Jai Kumar

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Faulty drainage puts innocent lives at risk

About The Video: Ward 14 is the home of the industrial complex that powers the economy of Ludhina. It is also home to the millions of migrant laborers who are the primary workforce who reside in the colonies that have sprung up around the industrial phases. But while the rest of Ludhiana has enjoyed a skyrocketing growth in the quality of life, the residents of Ward 14, the economic heart of one of the richest cities in India, live and languish in miserable conditions.

The monsoon is the infrastructural litmus test for India’s cities and yet again, Ward 14 has failed to cope. Sewers are choked. Roads have drowned. Pools of water are growing stagnant and diseased. The residents say that the conditions have always been bad but recently it has taken the turn for the worse.

Drains have overflowed and there is canal of dirty water flowing through town. It is impossible to gauge where the path of the original drain lay and people and vehicles occasionally and unsuspectingly find themselves slipping into the sewage. Adding to the danger is the presence of an active railway track in the vicinity. Community Correspondent Jai Kumar says that he knows of atleast 3 people who have lost their lives between the drain and the tracks.

Community Correspondent Says: Jai Kumar is a manager of a school in Ward 14. There are around 5 other schools in the area. Every monsoon, the children have to negotiate the dangerous waters to it to and fro from their classes. “It was difficulty the children were facing that inspired me to make the video,” says Jai Kumar. “Most people in the area are tired of complaining to the authorities. But when lives are at stake, you cannot give up.”

Call To Action: Jai Kumar asks the viewers to call Municipal Councilor Dharamjit Singh Garcha on +91 98726-0390 or +91 94631-5980 and tell him that it unacceptable to put the lives of children in danger and that he should fix the drain immediately.

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