With sewa kendra closed, villagers run pillar to post to avail services
In 2018, 120 sewa kendras were closed in the Ludhiana district due to less footfall of visitors. Currently, 40 sewa kendras are running in various areas of the district
With the sewa kendra in Hathur village closed for the past several years, its residents are forced to travel approximately 10 kilometers to Manuke village to avail basic services such as Aadhaar card enrollment, addition of name in birth certificate and affidavit attestation.
In 2018, 120 sewa kendras were closed in the Ludhiana district due to less footfall of visitors. Currently, 40 sewa kendras are running in various areas of the district.
Hathur, along with neighboring villages such as Chakar, Lakha, Burj Kralan, Cheeniwal, and Sadowal, among others, is severely affected by the closure. To access basic facilities provided by the sewa kendra, the residents of these villages have to travel a considerable distance to Manuke village.
The Manuke Sewa Kendra, which is supposed to cater to more than 1 lakh residents from the nearby 15 villages, is equipped with only two public dealing counters and a help desk. This limited capacity forces people to arrive as early as 4 am to secure a spot in the queue. Only around 40 tokens are distributed each day, resulting in residents having to travel a total of 25 kilometers to reach a sewa kendra in Jagraon.
The closure of the sewa kendra in Hathur village has caused significant inconvenience to its 10,000 residents. The village is home to several essential government facilities, including a police station, post office, three banks, a community health centre, and a government high school. However, the absence of a nearby sewa kendra has hampered residents’ access to vital services.
There are around 45 active services provided by the sewa kendras, including Aadhaar card enrollment, addition of name in birth certificate, affidavit attestation, caste certificate, certified copies of previously registered documents, electricity bill payment, inspection of revenue records, fard generation and NOC for use of loud speakers among others.
The residents of Hathur village recently submitted a memorandum to deputy commissioner Surabhi Malik, urging the authorities to reopen the sewa kendra in their village. They emphasised the need for an operational facility, pointing out the distance they have to travel to the Manuke Sewa Kendra.
Moreover, they highlighted that many crucial services, such as Aadhaar card updates and different pension schemes, are often unavailable at the Manuke sewa kendra, forcing them to travel to Jagraon.
Malkit Singh, sarpanch of Hathur village, said, “Around 10,000 people reside in this village, and to obtain basic government facilities, residents have to travel 25 kilometers to the Jagraon sewa kendra. The sewa kendra in Manuke village is usually overbooked due to the large number of applications. People usually queue up as early as 4 am to secure their turn.”
Sukhpal Kaur, Sarpanch of Burj Kalara village, said, “There are around 15 villages dependent on a single sewa kendra. We have requested the authorities to reopen the sewa kendra in Hathur village. There are a large number of services which residents have to obtain on alternate days from the sewa kendra.”
Deputy commissioner Surabhi Malik acknowledged the issue and assured the residents that the matter is being looked into.
“We have forwarded the matter to the state government, and the necessary action will be taken in accordance with the policy,” she said.
