Bathinda: While the entire country is eagerly waiting for Diwali and planning to burst firecrackers and light diyas, three villages in Punjab's Bathinda have had a rather mute festival of lights for several decades due to their proximity to an Army cantonment and an ammunition depot.
In the villages of Phoos Mandi, Bhagu and Gulabgarh, there are strict directions by the administration against using fireworks and burning stubble. The elderly of these villages claim that they have not celebrated Diwali for the last five decades. They said the military cantonment was built in 1976 after a huge chunk of land was acquired ahead of the construction.
"When children insist on bursting firecrackers on Diwali, they are sent to their maternal houses or their aunts. If any person bursts firecrackers or burns stubble against the administrative instructions, legal action is taken against him by the district administration,” an elderly villager said.
Apart from not being able to celebrate Diwali, villagers in Phoos Mandi said there have been times when fragments of expired ammunition fell into the village when it was detonated by the Army. The administration, they say, did not take any action on their complaints of property damage in such incidents.
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In addition, any new construction in the area has been banned, they said. “If any person of the village tries to water his field or make tea in the field at night, the Army immediately arrives and inquires about it warning the person not to ignite fire in the area,” one of the villagers said. The problems are compounded especially during the festival of Diwali and during the paddy season when the surveillance gets stricter, he said.
The villagers said that due to the proximity of the Army cantonment and the depot coupled with lack of road connectivity, the land rates in their village have been hit hard. Relatives also shy away from visiting their kin in these villages during the festival since they are not able to celebrate the occasion to their hearts' content.
The villagers demand that the administration should take adequate steps in this regard so that they can celebrate the festival of lights which symbolises the victory of good over evil.
