The author is an independent journalist and online media specialist. He has been engaged as a state correspondent with several leading dailies in the past.
There was a time when Jalandhar contributed to almost 80 per cent of the sports goods manufactured in India. Thanks to slow modernisation, stiff Chinese competition and most recently, the GST, its leadership position is challenged not just globally, but even within the country.
It has been a little over three months since Citizen Matters raised the long-pending issue of the clean-up of Buddha Nullah. That coverage has given a boost to attempts by a 50-member umbrella organisation to restore the Sutlej tributary, and the government appears to be listening too.
The old British built Jagraon bridge, that shared the traffic, has been closed since 2016, so that the new bridge sees pile up lasting for hours at peak times. Work on a new bridge, however, remains in limbo, as do many other infrastructure projects in the city.
Buddha Nulla, formerly Buddha Dariya, symbolises Ludhiana’s decay; its water grows more polluted and contaminated with carcinogens as governments fail to curb dumping and spend crores in sporadic cleaning efforts.
2019 may not be a cakewalk for the feisty actor-turned-politician as she faces a repeat battle from the 2014 polls — against Congress candidate Pawan Bansal.
