Raman Bahl’s having a good time

Earlier this week, Gurdaspur residents were euphoric and relieved when news spread that the Chief Minister (CM) Capt Amarinder Singh had extended Raman Bahl’s tenure as Chairman of the prestigious Punjab State Subordinate Services Selection Board (PSSSSB) for two more years. In 2018, when he was initially appointed for a period of three years, there were many local satraps who threw tantrums of different kinds. Among them was the local MLA who ‘conveniently’ shot off his resignation letter to the CM protesting against Bahl’s elevation. ‘Conveniently’ because he knew such letters are often addressed to either the Governor or the Vidhan Sabha speaker, both of whom have powers to take action. Addressing his resignation to the CM meant he was deliberately misfiring. Had he addressed it to the PPCC chief, even then things would have been understandable. Actually, he was playing to an empty gallery. This time, when Bahl was handed over the extension letter, no such antics were witnessed. The political turbulence was nowhere to be seen. One reason may have been that residents are busy quelling the Covid surge. The other is that the political class must have mellowed down knowing well that anything written or spoken against Bahl may go against them and that too when the Assembly poll is barely a year away. An observer said that instead of training their guns on a senior Congressman like Bahl, it is high time they better start taking an interest in active politics which, for long, they have abstained from. “Just because you do not take an interest in politics does not mean politics will not take an interest in you,” said an MLA. By remaining at the helm of affairs, the PSSSSB Chairman has surely kept himself in contention for the party ticket from Gurdaspur. He already has started treading the political ground carefully. But will he go for the jugular in electoral politics like his father Khushal Bahl, who remained a former Cabinet Minister, did? “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politically correct, nor popular but he must take it because his conscience tells him he is right,” he remarked.

Advertisement

Foreign intruders

Gurdaspur police is witnessing a rather unusual phenomenon these days. Its villages, particularly those located near the international border, have been infiltrated not by Pakistanis but by Nigerians. The cops have arrested five Nigerian smugglers in recent weeks. They were suspected of bringing in heroin from New Delhi and selling it here at a premium. SSP Rajinder Singh Sohal has now formed a special team to keep a track on all foreigners, particularly the dark-skinned ones from Nigeria, who enter this district. On the other hand, he also wants more drug de-addiction centres to be established near the border. “A recovering addict without a rehabilitation centre is much like leaving dracula in charge of the blood bank!” said Sohal.

No more bad days

After nearly a decade of remaining in a limbo, Gurdaspur’s bus stand will finally have a new address. The administration has decided to shift it from its present location near the Jahaz Chowk to the IT scheme on Tibri road. Tenders worth Rs14 crore have already been floated. This development comes as a major respite for locals who had been claiming that half of the town’s traffic woes were the result of the bus stand being located at a crowded place. There are reports, albeit unconfirmed, that the site of the old stand will be used as a parking lot. If this happens, the city will be devoid of any traffic jams at least for the next few years. As they say, “The wheels of a bus go round and round, all through the town.” — Ravi Dhaliwal