Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Smooth traffic management, construction of development works and encroachments on roadsides of Sant Hidaram Nagar, the biggest shopping hub in state capital Bhopal, have emerged as the key issues in the area ahead of elections.
Free press learnt about the same upon taking stock of the people’s perspective, who have been established in the area for decades. While a majority of the people said more development works should not take place in the area anymore, others said that several works need to be done in the area still, which could have been completed under the BJP rule.
Vijay Sadhwani, a garment shop owner in Sant Hirdaram Nagar, said flyovers should not be constructed in the area anymore, as they cause immense inconvenience to the traders and the businessmen. He further added that BJP, although pays heed to people’s problems, often fails to understand the ordeal of the shopkeepers and the businessmen.
He agreed on the fact that this time, there is a cut-throat competition between the BJP and the Congress in the Assembly elections. Owner of a medical store, Sudhir Ajwani asserted that casteism is no ground for the people of Sant Hirdaram Nagar to vote for the candidate who belongs to their own caste.
Despite Sindhi community being the majority in the area, he said that people analyse the development introduced in the area by the government. He expressed his faith in Congress for the same, adding that since the BJP rule from the last 18 years, development works introduced in Sant Hirdaram Nagar added to the woes of the people, such as, the construction of the BRTS lane, owing to which the traffic snarls have been prevailing on the roads.
Encroachments laid on the roadsides are the biggest issue in the area till date, which are being paid no heed. Chairman of a private hospital in Sant Hirdaram Nagar, Heeru Lalwani said BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma has done a lot for the non-locals of the area, but failed to fulfil the needs of the ones established in the area since long. He further added that despite this, his dominance is seeming to overshadow those of the Congress candidates competing against him.
