Tyre mechanic promises safe, neat roads

Jalandhar, December 11

Eking out a living at his roadside tyre puncture repair stall, Sunil Arora (32) has big dreams. The 32-year-old wants to make his Bharat Nagar locality and surrounding areas sans civic problems.

He has stood as an Independent candidate from ward number16. “Even though bad roads mean more business to me, my priority as a councillor would be to provide smooth roads. Bad roads just don’t mean need for tyre repair work. They also lead to accidents, which can be fatal at times. The roads around my area, including those at Guru Nanakpura West, Ekta Nagar and Bharat Nagar, had craters. I approached the authorities, but they did not pay heed. Finally, I approached some friends and managed to collect Rs 6,000, with which I got some patch works done.” Arora assigns this as the reason for his entry in politics.

He said, “Though I cannot spend beyond a limit on this election, I have got prepared some election material. I have some well-wishers from the area who are with me. They are supporting me a bit financially and even going along with me for campaign whenever we find time in the day.”

Sunil says his family was initially upset at his decision. “My mother is now hell bent on getting me married for she thinks I am going astray. Even my elder brother, who is an electrician, initially dissuaded me from taking the plunge, but is now accompanying me in the campaign,” he said.

He added that there were two more Independent candidates from the ward initially, but the candidates of the traditional parties forced them to withdraw. “They have been pressurising me too, but I am not going to yield,” he said.

Activist’s daughter unwell

Even as RTI activist Pankaj Mehta too had filed his nomination papers as an Independent candidate from ward 64, he has not been able to campaign so far. His 25-day daughter is on ventilator in a private hospital. — TNS