Gurdaspur Diary: Independence Day honour for young Kang

There is this famous quote of Paulo Coelho from the bestseller The Alchemist. It says, “Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.” It aptly fits on Karanbir Singh Kang, a young Junior Engineer (JE) employed with the Water Supply and Sanitation Department. His heart was in trying to be honest and loyal to his duty. And finally, he found his treasure when Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar felicitated him at the Independence Day celebrations held at the Government College Stadium. Kang is responsible for the upkeep of the 30 odd government houses Gurdaspur has apart from looking after government entities like the District Administrative Complex (DAC), the Judicial Courts Complex and the now redundant Circuit House. Over the years, the honesty with which he works has become the talk of the town. His seniors admit that the man puts his heart into whatever he does. He is a local lad and is an alumnus of the Sukhjindra College of Engineering and Technology. He did his B.Tech in 2014 and four years later joined the Water Supply Department. The day he won the accolades, he told TNS, “Do not lie to yourself. We have to be honest about what we want rather than lie to ourselves and make excuses to stay in our comfort zone. I have been performing my duties diligently.” It is appropriate to remember Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson’s words: “We are all travellers in the wilderness of this world and the best we can find in our travels is an honest man.”

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VVIP visits impede flood rescue missions in villages

VVIP visits to marooned villages are acting as an impediment in carrying out rescue and rehabilitation (R&R) missions by civil administration officials, Army, BSF, NDRF and the SDRF. Villagers are livid because these dignitaries “announce no relief package and on the contrary remain busy while getting their photographs clicked sitting atop boats and tractor-trolleys.” Cabinet ministers Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and Lal Chand Kataruchak have been regularly touring the flood ravaged villages but officials say this distracts them from seeing the larger picture. Off the record, officials say that such stopovers have become a cause of consternation among the harried villagers many of whom have lost everything they had. “We have to make certain that everything is spick-and-span when the VVIPs arrive. The dignitaries then come, take part in photo-ops and go while we are left facing the ire of the people. Villagers say they want ration, drinking water and fodder and in no way do they want to see a minister delivering a long speech,” admitted a bureaucrat engaged in R&R. Interestingly, these VVIPs ask photographers of the PR Department to accompany them wherever they go. Now, the question is whether these dignitaries really care for the common man or are they more interested in getting photographs clicked in an attempt to further their political ambitions?

(Contributed By Ravi Dhaliwal)