Gurdaspur diary: An open letter to CM

An open letter to CM

Mr Bhagwant Mann,

Chief Minister, Punjab

Dear CM,

We, the residents of Gurdaspur, congratulate you your election win. You proved that the voter clearly wants a change. We, as a society, can grow only if we change. The corrupt politician has been weeded out of the system hook, line and sinker. Actually, the voter followed Dilbert’s principle which says the most ineffective leaders are systematically moved to the place where they can do the least damage. Someone had to make a beginning somewhere. Even Neil Armstrong had to take his first steps at home before finally landing on the moon. Everything from health to education, from agriculture to transport was in the doldrums. The decisions you have taken such as putting a check on private schools and discontinuing pensions of MLAs are being applauded by all and sundry. It was from our taxes that these politicians were being paid pensions. Hopefully, our money will now be put to better use. Sir we urge you to hold a probe as to why Gurdaspur’s civil hospital was shunted to a place 5 km away from the city. Such entities cater to the poor and middle class. What was the compulsion to move the facility to such a faraway place? We understand that cities which do not expand, die. But expansion is done in a planned manner. Here, we saw no method to the madness. Or were the politicians of the day playing into the hands of the powerful private doctors lobby? Public entities which need to be in the city for the convenience of the public are being taken to the outskirts while those which have to be located outside are being brought within the city’s municipal limits. The civil hospital is not the only example. The Central Jail, District Administrative Complex (DAC) and the Judicial Complex, which should have been on the periphery, are instead located in the city. Indeed, our political class sees no logic and rationality when it comes to taking decisions. A thorough probe will separate the grain from the chaff. Scratch the surface a bit and see how dust will enter the drawing rooms of some ex-MLAs. Who will tell our rulers that reforms should not be made until the reasoning behind the existing state of affairs is understood? We often hear our MLAs screaming from the rooftops that they “have constructed galiyan (streets), naliyan (drains) in villages.” These MLAs forget that building streets and drains is an integral part of their job. They are being paid salaries to do this. Such activity is called ‘construction’ and in no way can it be termed as ‘development.’ These politicians do not know the difference between ‘construction’ and ‘development.’ Development is when we fall sick, we get admitted to government hospitals and not private ones. Development is when we will start sending our children to government schools and not private schools, like they do in Delhi. And, finally, development is when we provide industry, hence employment, and our children no longer rush abroad. A society can make progress only if its human resources are developed. Its advancement can never be measured in ‘galiyan’ and ‘naliyan’. CM Sahib, we offer you a solution to the traffic woes of not only Gurdaspur but for the entire state. Civic bodies pass the designs of private hospitals only after these entities show they have enough parking spaces in their basement. But the problem is hospital owners open labs or pharmacies in these very basements. If these basements are put to proper use, half of your traffic problems will be solved. Punish one and the rest will follow the rules. The doctors lobby is a powerful one. They are people with money and influence. You need to meet them in the eye. Your predecessor brought in a loan waiver scheme. The scheme, instead of being funded by party funds (after all it was Congress which had announced the loan waiver in its 2017 manifesto and not the government) was being funded by the tax-paying public. Waiving off a loan is no solution to the problems of agriculturists. The solution lies elsewhere. A prominent realtor of Majha, Manjit Singh Dala, has urged you to bring in a scheme where a farmer who pays interest equivalent to double the principal amount should be forgiven. Levy a nominal development fee when a person gets his property registered. The fee should be paid by the seller. After all, the seller will not feel the pinch as he will be flush with funds after he sells his house or plot. Let this fee be used to improve school infrastructure. Partially privatise PRTC and Punjab Roadways. The executive head of these entities should be a businessman, preferably a transporter, while the administrative needs can be taken care of by a government nominee. See the turnaround in fortunes within months. If a prominent SAD politician can amass 6,000 buses starting from just six, why cannot these government owned transports generate revenue? Around 90 per cent of government schools are built on prime land. Make optimum use of this land and plough the revenue back in the education system. Awaiting favourable consideration.

Yours faithfully

Vox Populi

Mohalla clinics in Gurdaspur district

AAP MLAs of Gurdaspur district have been asked to identify locations where Mohalla clinics can be established. These legislators have already held several meetings with district administration officials. The concept, which has been successfully implemented in Delhi, has been welcomed by residents. The first such clinic will be opened in Batala soon. Amansher Singh Kalsi, MLA, himself is monitoring the progress being made by officials.

Gurdaspur DC gets going

Government officials have got the cue from the new AAP government in the state. They know that corruption will not be tolerated. Gurdaspur DC Mohammad Ishfaq has now ensured that people getting their properties registered receive calls from senior officers including the DC himself, ADC (general) and the SDM asking them if they had to pay bribes to revenue officials or not. The cog has fallen in place and the wheel has started moving. Last week, the DC pulled up two middle rung revenue officials who received bribes. In such cases word travels fast. Now nobody dares to ask for a bribe, at least not in Gurdaspur. (Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal)