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Pritam Singh and Tej Kaur with their new possession, a Pajero. Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan
Nouveau Riche
Villagers on splurge spree after windfall
Ruchika M. Khanna
Tribune News Service
With government handing out crores of rupees to residents of Jheorheri village as compensation for acquiring land for the Mohali airport, luxury cars have found their way into majority of homesVillagers on splurge spree after windfall
Ruchika M. Khanna
Tribune News Service
Jheorheri (Mohali), May 15
A potholed, dusty road from Sector 47, Chandigarh, leads to one of the most prosperous villages in North India. Jheorheri, which has perhaps the largest concentration of “crorepatis”, with crores stacked in banks, has seen a complete transformation in just one month.
Luxury cars, swanky mobile handsets, new flat-screen televisions, washing machines and refrigerators have now found their way into most homes.
After all, each farmer in this village has got Rs 1.25 crore per acre from the Punjab government as compensation for land acquired for the Mohali international airport.
Glistening Pajeros, Honda City, Scorpios and Ford Fiesta can be seen parked in almost all houses here.
A peek inside these rustic homes and you will see a brand-new flat-screen television, a refrigerator and even a new washing machine.
It’s another matter that most of these car owners do not know how to drive, nor does their annual income allow them to pay for the annual insurance cover of the vehicle.
But this has not deterred these villagers from “living it up” with their new-found wealth.
Amarjit Singh, who sells ice at a kiosk here, has already booked a Scorpio car. “My uncles have bought a Honda City and a Ford Fiesta. So I have to buy a Scorpio,” he says, refusing to understand that it will be difficult for him to pay the car’s insurance cover with his average monthly income of Rs 5,000.
“I can always take out some money from the FD (fixed deposit) in the bank,” he reasons.
Pritam Singh, lambardar, and his wife Tej Kaur say they are still coming to terms with the massive socio- economic change in the village.
“A new social order is emerging, as villagers have started splurging on acquiring lifestyle goods. The older generation is unhappy at having to part with their ancestral land but the younger generation is glad to receive the money. Though most villagers have set aside a big chunk of the compensation amount, children have forced them to part with some money to buy cars and other goods,” they say.
Pritam Singh has received the highest compensation in the village and has bought a Mitsubishi Pajero at the insistence of his son.
Interestingly, as news about the villagers receiving compensation spread, most of the luxury car manufacturers began camping here, displaying latest variants of their cars at the village common land.
Car financiers, too, tagged along, offering different schemes for getting a car financed.
“It was difficult to resist these people, who would sweet-talk the impressionable teenagers and convince them to buy their products. I had to be stern and tell my son that we will only buy a new car once we have purchased agricultural land elsewhere,” says Naib Kaur, whose son has received Rs 3.12 crore as compensation.
Worried that the entire compensation money will be squandered away, village elders are now taking their families to Bhadson, Malerkotla, Sirhind and Samrala to buy agricultural land there. “Most of the money has been deposited in banks as short-term deposits and the moment we finalise a deal, this money will be invested in buying agricultural land. Most villagers will give this land on contract, as they will continue to reside here,” says Sukhbir Singh.
