Development over a period of 100 years

The author of this article is the first PhD from his village Gehlan Hithar, tehsil Chunian District Kasur. It is located at distance of 60 miles from Lahore in south west. In my recent visit to the village I had noticed some much astonishing facts that show the level of scio-economic development in Pakistan. Gehlan at present is a union council head with population around 20,000. One basic health unit, two high schools (one for boys and one for girls), two primary schools along with some couple of private schools. The first boy’s school was established in 1906, which was later upgraded to high level in 1974. In a period of over 100 years there is no development in any further affairs in this regard. Similar is the case for the girl’s school, which is still under a state of art that could not attract the potential students in the area. There are many cases where the brilliant students have shined in the national horizon but the motivational factors, which the schools could impart to the students, is lacking.

The basic health unit was established to cater the needs of local peoples but the poor organization have just made three acre of land deprived from the production with almost nil activities for health assurance. The unit has unpaved access road with a poor professional attitude towards the problem of peoples.

The boundary wall of the unit as well as the residential quarters built have almost demolished and over picture of the health unit is no more better then an ancient site which might have been damaged by some intruders. Although the health department of Punjab government has engaged in financial as well as establishment matters regarding the employees but the net utility of the whole project is not more then a private local non-qualified “Hakem”. The peoples from the area have to rush to some other hospitals like in tehsil head quarter Chunian, district Kasur or Lahore. Which causes a big crowd in these hospitals.
 
The grounds in the health unit are now in use of young people for sports activity but the government non-willingness for such use has also led to poor conditions of this land and it has just become the big source of fine dust, which is transferred to human bodies when there is some wind or some movement over it. The local culture developed over last many years has made people non-cooperative and the issues, which could have been resolved on the community level by simple public participation in development activities. The engagement of the local peoples in such activities has much benefit in large but no one is there to take initiative to uplift the livelihood of the masses living in rural area. The general condition of the excess road is also very poor. The sewage water is just exhausted to the road and it makes the road full of filth and mud. The concept of cleanliness which our religion taught us to be the one half of our faith has never seen any where in the country and very specific to the villages like is Gehlan. This show the negligence of out local government system which has been powered to make the living easy and up-to-date but no one thinks beyond his own preferences.

At present the economic condition is the village has been improved due to new business initiative like flower growing in area. The flower market established in the village has made opportunities for many peoples and the income has increased too much better level but the state of art is very poor which could be improved to get maximum benefit from the potential of peoples and it is hopped that the next 100 years will not like has passed since the inception of education in the village. All this could be geared to a much better speed if government could join hand with peoples living in the area to make peoples and government a single unit to win a big game of reduction of extremism and poverty.