Malkit Singh, in his late 20s, is an agent with the Life Insurance Corporation. His family owns fertile land at Mohar Jamsher, a village near Fazilka, and he is an eligible bachelor. But despite his “good credentials”, he is unable to get a bride from an equally affluent family. Reason: his village is surrounded by Pakistan on three sides; and on the fourth side flows the Satluj, which is often in spate during monsoon, cutting off the village from the Indian mainland. As a result, neighbouring villages do not want to have an alliance with the families living here.

Along the Satluj is a high, imposing fence put up by the Border Security Force (BSF). Villagers can enter Mohar Jamsher only through a gate amid the fence, manned by the BSF day and night.

According to sarpanch Gurdeep Singh, the heavy fencing and the gate came up in 1989, during the days of militancy in Punjab. “The entire country lives in peace now, but we are stuck in war times,” he says.

Residents of the village carry identity cards, while those from other villages have to get an application signed by the village head to be allowed inside.

“People don’t like coming to our village because of the application issue. For organising weddings and other functions, we have to go to neighbouring villages to avoid the harassment,” says Malkit.

The village has nearly 1,200 residents. Gurdeep says only a few girls from the village could study beyond Class V. “In monsoon, Satluj gets flooded, and the makeshift bridge made by us is washed away. As a result, children from our village cannot go to school. Getting medical aid for any ailing person becomes a big problem too,” he adds.

... contd.