CM thanks Shahkot, mum on demands

Shahkot (Jalandhar), June 15

Even as new Shahkot MLA Hardev Singh Laddi handed over a long list of demands of people of his constituency to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh during a thanksgiving rally held here post the recent bypoll, nothing much was announced on Thursday.
It largely remained a plain thanksgiving event with none of the demands proposed by the new MLA getting endorsed by the CM. The demands included a new college, setting up of potato research and marketing centre, strengthening of Dhusi bandh and raising of concrete road atop, construction of platforms for grain markets and installation of sewerage system and treatment plant at Lohian.
Instead, the CM made announcements which largely included ongoing Centre-sponsored projects of the NHAI, including four-laning of the Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur road for Rs 1,069 crore and four-laning of the bypass linking Jandu Singha with Partappura and Jamsher for Rs 1,000 crore.
The new projects announced by him were construction of a railway overbridge on the Chugitti-Ladhewali road at a cost of Rs 35 crore and widening of the Jalandhar-Jandiala-Nurmahal-Talwan road at a cost of Rs 17 crore.
For Shahkot, he only allocated Rs 7 crore for three smart schools and 32 digital classrooms, Rs 25 lakh for Primary Health Centre at Mehatpur, besides some amount for setting up medical test laboratories and water supply scheme for villages. He, however, added that he had told Laddi to see him in Chandigarh with his list of demands.
In his thanksgiving speech, he said, “It is for the second time in the past 52 years since Punjab’s reorganisation that the Congress has won from this seat, the last being in 1992. It is all because of your love that I got the strength of two/third majority in the state. People wanted change.” He reiterated that June 28 would be a government holiday on account of Kabir Jayanti.
Kalia slams CM over Rs 2,140-cr dole claim
Former BJP minister Manoranjan Kalia said the CM’s announcement regarding grants worth Rs 2,140 crore for development projects in Jalandhar and Shahkot was a farce. “Rs 2,069-crore NHAI projects are purely Centre-funded with no contribution from the state,” he claimed.
Former legislators outnumber MLAs
As the Congress government is in the process of filling the posts of chairmen of boards and trusts, former MLAs outnumbered the MLAs at Thursday rally.
Former MLAs included Jagbir Brar, Joginder Mann, Satinder Bitti, Malkit S Dakha and Rajinder Bhattal
Only three sitting MLAs — Rana Gurjit, Surinder Singh and Sushil Rinku — from Doaba made it to the event
Only Doaba minister Sunder Sham Arora gave the function a miss.