Chandigarh, Nov. 7 -- Wide roads, green belts, and sleek corporate offices define the approach to Chandigarh's Rajiv Gandhi Information Technology (IT) Park from Madhya Marg. But turn off the highway toward Kishangarh village, and the picture flips. Here, residents are forced to contend with broken roads, non-functional streetlights, and contaminated drinking water. This contrast defines the municipal corporation's ward number 4, comprising Kishangarh, Indira Colony, Shastri Nagar, and IT Park. Five years after the December 2021 municipal elections, residents acknowledge minor infrastructure improvements, but say core civic problems persist. The crisis is acute in Kishangarh, where nearly 90% of the village lies outside the Lal Dora boundary. Despite coming under the MC jurisdiction in 2019, its inner lanes remain tracks in disrepair. In Indira Colony, basic electricity and water supplies are reliable, but street vendors encroach on narrow lanes, parks lie neglected, garbage piles up, and stray dogs pose a constant hazard. Adding to the water woes, the flagship 24x7 water supply pilot project-launched under the Smart City initiative and inaugurated by Union home minister Amit Shah in Manimajra in August 2024- failed to take off. Subsequently, the administration had to junk the project touted as one of the biggest initiatives by BJP. Residents complain due to this project, roads were dug up all across Manimajra, resulting in damage to underground infrastructure. Harish Sharma, a resident of Manimajra, says that the project was never implemented effectively. The initiative was further mired in controversy after the vigilance department launched a probe into alleged corruption following a complaint by city BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra. Citing the pilot's failure, the MC rejected the proposed pan-city 24x7 water supply project this year. When approached regarding the failed project and ward issues, deputy mayor and ward 4 councillor Suman Sharma declined to comment. In Shastri Nagar, development is stalled because the land is still classified as agricultural. Resident Ishwar Pratap Sharma says several families pooled their own money to pave roads the MC left untouched. Councillor Suman Sharma, who won on an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket in 2021 before jumping to the BJP in December 2025 and becoming the deputy mayor, defends her record. She points to repaired internal roads, replaced water pipelines, paver blocks in Indira Colony, new stormwater drains, maintained green belts, and public toilet upgrades. "The main roads in Kishangarh were built during my term," she says, attributing the poor condition of inner lanes to the area's Lal Dora status. She also highlights the construction of a Chhath Puja Ghat in Indira Colony in 2022 and proposed CCTV installations in Kishangarh and Indira Colony. Political dynamics are set to shift, with the ward reserved for a Scheduled Caste candidate in the coming municipal elections. Yet, voter expectations remain unchanged: Paved lanes, working streetlights, clean drinking water, functional sewers, and better public safety. Last time's runner-up Congress candidate Jannat Jahan, who narrowly lost the election, disputes the councillor's claims. "Civic conditions have deteriorated. I have never seen her raise a single ward issue in the MC House," Jahan says, adding the councillor should have pressed the administration harder to deliver basic amenities to areas outside the Lal Dora. Under municipal law, spending civic funds outside Lal Dora or on un-regularised agricultural land is prohibited to prevent legitimising illegal construction and violating non-agricultural land-use rules. Some residents claim Suman Sharma was seen on the ground during the initial phase of her tenure but has been conspicuous by her absence since she joined the BJP....