Congress rally brings forth tussle among leaders

The first ever public gathering organised by the ruling Congress in the border district after regaining power has brought forth the infighting within the party leaders. The Congress had organised the meeting at Thathia Mahantan village recently. It was presided over by Sunil Jakhar, president, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC).

All four MLAs of the district were invited to the rally and chairs for them were earmarked by pasting slips. Patti MLA Harminder Singh Gill and Tarn Taran MLA Dharamvir Agnihotri were present whereas MLAs Ramanjit Singh Sikki (Khadur Sahib) and Sukhpal Singh Bhullar (Khemkaran) were conspicuous by their absence.

Khadur Sahib MLA Ramanjit Singh Sikki is, nowadays, hardly visible in the constituency as he has got the charge of the Nadala constituency, say party members, who don't wish to be named. Congress workers have often express their resentment over it and Sikki has often issued clarifications.

Harminder Singh Gill, who organised the rally, had expressed his resentment against one MLA, stating that he had been inducting in the Congress "tainted SAD workers" allegedly responsible for committing atrocities over Congress men during the 10-year rule of the SAD. It was the first public gathering of the Congress after it assumed power in the state.

Meanwhile, Gill had to face resentment from party workers for not responding to their mobile calls. The workers expressed their views to the MLA when he had gone to mobilise them for the trally to be held at Thathia Mahantan recently. The workers reminded him about his past claims regarding his availability round the clock. The MLA took a note of their concerns.

Beas getting polluted

The drain water of a number of villages along Beas, also know as Mand area, is being released into the river for years. Due to this, the level of water pollution of the river has been on the rise. Though it has been brought to the notice of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) many a time, no action has been taken against the errants so far. The sewage in Chohla Sahib, which was laid about six years ago, too, is being released into the river. The situation is no different in Goindwal Sahib as factories continue to discharge effluents which are released into the river. The PPCB appears to be in a deep slumber. Residents of Dhunda say the practice has been going on since decades.