Bathinda: With the assembly polls in Punjab just a few weeks away, the prolixity of political leaders is at its peak. While their flashy promises surround the most crucial issues in the area, the efforts towards solving them suddenly vanish into thin air soon after the elections conclude. The issue of uranium in the drinking water in a dozen villages on the Punjab-Haryana border has been used as a political weapon by several leaders. And yet, the villages have a surprising amount of patients battling Cancer due to unhygienic drinking water.
Politicians' white lies - a common phenomenon
The politicians, with their excellent oratory skills, manage to woo the people who vote for them in a hope that maybe this time, their problem will be paid heed to. However, their expectations are never met, as cancer continues to haunt these villages. Hundreds of people die every month, while a hundred others wait for their deaths to arrive. Deepak Arora, director of the Advanced Cancer Institute, says he receives about 350 different types of cancer patients daily. "The situation is so bad that in some villages, there is more than one cancer patient in every house, while most of them can't even afford to get the treatment," he said.
Before the opening of the Advanced Cancer Institute in Bathinda, most of the cancer patients in these villages resorted to the hospitals in Bikaner in Rajasthan. A train that plied between Bathinda and Bikaner was the usual train taken by all these patients. Soon, sadly enough, the train came to be known as the 'Cancer Train'.
Financially crippled patients wait for their deaths
Heera Singh, who suffers from kidney cancer, spent over Rs 1.5 lakh for cancer treatment although he could barely afford it. Lachhman Singh spent around 5 lakh rupees for the treatment. "Even if they (leaders) provide clean drinking water, the disease will be controlled to some extent. It's such a basic thing to ask for," he said. Leukemia patient Rampal Singh says that due to the high cost of cancer treatment, he is now financially crippled and unable to provide support for his family.
ICMR report suggests the situation may turn worse by 2025
While the politicians in the area continue to ignore the issue, the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has prepared a report on the Cancer situation here. The survey was conducted in a 3325 sq. km area of the Patiala district, covering CMC Ludhiana, Civil Hospital Ambala Cantonment, Medical College Faridkot, and Oswal Hospital across 40.3 percent urban and 59.7 percent rural areas. According to this report, 2294 people out of one lakh have cancer. Of these, 47% are men and 53% are women who carried it as a genetic trait. It further says that if it continues like this, the situation will be critical by 2025.
'CM Relief Fund Help'
Bharat Kumar, the PA of Deputy Commissioner Vaneet Kumar, said that the Punjab Government provides financial assistance to cancer victims from the CM Relief Fund. "Patients have to submit their reports to the Deputy Commissioner's Office. The patient gets financial assistance only after the reports are approved from Chandigarh High Command," he clarified.
Parties claim to have taken action
Congress spokesperson Dr. Navjot Dahiya said that the Punjab government has done a lot of work on this issue during the last five years and the Punjab Pollution Control Board is also taking it very seriously. Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal spokesperson Mann Singh also claimed that they have built the Cancer Institute and the AIIMS to deal with the issue. BJP's Vikram Singh Sidhu also said that his party has already drawn up a roadmap for basic amenities, while a large Pediatrics center would be opened in Ludhiana.
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