Barnala, Jan. 20 -- Three years after Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann announced the conversion of a girls' school in Thikriwala into a nursing college, residents of the village are still waiting for the project to take shape. With the 92nd death anniversary of Praja Mandal leader Sewa Singh Thikriwala approaching, villagers point out that not even a foundation stone has been laid. The announcement was made by Mann on January 19, 2023, during the 89th death anniversary of Sewa Singh. He had also declared that Thikriwala, the native village of the freedom fighter, would be developed as a model village with ultra-modern facilities. However, residents allege that little has changed on the ground. A resident, requesting anonymity, said the proposed nursing college remains unbuilt and basic healthcare facilities in the village are inadequate, adding that the village once had a hospital where surgeries were performed, but it has now been converted into an Aam Aadmi clinic that provides only outpatient services. He further demanded that the hospital be upgraded. Village representatives including sarpanch Kiranjit Happy, Surjit Singh and Jagsir Aulakh said such promises are repeated every year without concrete action. "We raised the issue with cabinet minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Aman Arora and other officials during today's event commemorating Sewa Singh Thikriwala," Surjit said. A senior government official said the project is awaiting approval from the finance department and further action will be initiated only after the file is cleared. Finance minister Cheema on Monday said the construction of the nursing college would be expedited to ensure timely completion. He also said directions had been issued to the health department to address shortcomings in healthcare services in the village. Cheema made these remarks while addressing a gathering in memory of Sewa Singh in Thikriwala. Born in Thikriwala village in 1886, Sewa Singh was a prominent leader of the Praja Mandal movement and a respected social reformer. Fluent in Punjabi, English, Urdu and Persian, he served as a senior officer in the health department and saved thousands of lives during the plague pandemic while posted in Barnala. He later resigned from government service to devote himself fully to social and political causes. Despite being born into a wealthy family, Sewa Singh remained a strong voice for the common people. He was also an active member of the Singh Sabha movement. Born to Har Kaur and Deva Singh, an official in the court of Maharaja Rajinder Singh of Patiala, Sewa Singh attained martyrdom on January 20, 1935, after undertaking a hunger strike of nearly nine months while lodged in jail....