Do the Voters of This Forgotten Village in Punjab Matter for the Netas?

Elections come, elections go. But nothing changes in Punjab's Masol village.

Masol, a village just 8kms from Punjab's capital Chandigarh lacks even basic facilities. 

(Graphics: Chetan Bhakuni)

Producer: Tridip K Mandal

Cameraperson: Sandeep Singh

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam

It would have been better if our village was in Haryana, We are not getting any facility in Punjab.

Tarsem Singh, 58-year-old resident of Masol village in Punjab’s SAS Nagar district.

All of them come to demand votes but no one thinks about setting up a school till class 10th, opening dispensary or constructing roads. Our kids walk 8-10 km to attend school in Punjab and 8 km to attend school in Haryana. They walk through dense forest and seasonal rivers. During Monsoons children can’t go to school as river gets flooded with rain water.

Shindar Kaur, 55-year-old resident of Masol village in Punjab’s SAS Nagar district.

Masol village in Punjab’s SAS Nagar district.

(Photo: Sandeep Singh)

In Masol, a tiny village in Shivalik hills and surrounded by seasonal rivers, all that one hears about is the dissatisfaction with the Punjab govt. It is just 8km away from state capital Chandigarh, but in terms of development it is at least 60 years behind the rest of Punjab.

Masol is a village of only 300 people from the Banzara community. It has a school till class 5th, no dispensary, erratic electricity supply, unemployment and connectivity issue, as there’s no facility of public transport to attend schools or go to towns nearby.

The land owned by villagers was purchased by wealthy people for pennies to construct their farm houses. Majority of villagers are daily wagers who work either in these farm houses or go to Chandigarh for manual work.

Masol has seen a lot of exodus. What's left behind are these abandoned homes. 

(Photo: Sandeep Singh)

Masol is lined with rows of abandoned homes, almost looking like a ghost town. The village has seen mass exodus. Villagers have chosen to relocate in search of better facilities and living conditions.

The Quint’s crew visited the village on a rainy winter day. Where once there was a road, now flowed a stream and villagers had to walk through the flowing water. Goldie Singh, 14, showed us the road he normally takes to school.

My school is 3-4 kms from here. The water level isn’t that much now. During rains, the whole river is flooded. Then we have to trek through the hills.

Goldie Singh, 11-year-old resident of Masol village in Punjab’s SAS Nagar district.

The roads and pathways in Masol are flooded whenever it rains. 

(Photo: Sandeep Singh)

Masol had gone without electricity for straight four days now. The electricity poles lay on the roadside uprooted.

We don’t get electricity regularly. These poles were erected just four months ago but a storm uprooted them. No one from the electricity department have come to fix them.

Tarsem, Resident of Masol village in Punjab’s SAS Nagar district.

Masol is not just any other village, it is known for its archaeological importance. It is here that place 2.6 million-year-old fossils were found by a team of Indian and French scientists.

The PMO had directed Archaeological Survey of India to declare 150 acre of the village land as protective territory.

But for villagers of Masol and its 350 voters this recognition has hardly done anything. Elections come and go but nothing changes in Masol.

We are living in hell. The leaders just take our votes. But they do nothing for us.

Shindar Kaur, 55-year-old resident of Masol village in Punjab’s SAS Nagar district.