Admn forced to shift CM’s function venue

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 4

Following the ongoing protest by the splinter group of teacher unions, the Patiala district administration was compelled to shift the venue of a state-level function of farmers which was scheduled to be held at the Mehmadpur grain market. 

The administration has also postponed the date of the function to December 7.

The function was to be held at the Mehmadpur grain market, wherein Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, reportedly, was supposed to waive off the debt of more than 30,000 farmers of the five districts.

Crucially, the protesting teacher unions are strongly being supported by the Bharati Kisan Union (BKU), Ugrahan. 

Confirming the development, Patiala Deputy Commissioner Kumar Amit said: “We have shifted and postponed the farmers’ function due to the ongoing teachers’ protest at the Mehamdpur grain market. Now, it will take place at the Omaxe city.”

On December 2, two dissident teacher unions started an indefinite strike, hurriedly, at the Mehmadpur grain market without completing the process of prior permission from the district administration.

 In fact, two leaders of the teachers’ union and one from the farmers’ union have already been booked for violating the High Court orders, whereby, one has to take prior permission from the authority concerned before any protest.

However, teacher unions said they had already written to the Deputy Commissioner for permission to hold the indefinite strike.

While the Deputy Commissioner said: “We have forwarded the application of the protesting unions to the Punjab Mandi Board for approval since. But, until now, the permission has not been granted so it is an illegal assembly of people.”