Giving Machhiwara the look of a city

Gurminder Singh Grewal

Machhiwara, December 23

A third time winner of the Municipal election from Machhiwara is Congress leader Surinder Kundra. This time he won the poll with a margin of 550 votes from Ward No. 6. He tried his luck in the MC poll for five times and won thrice. Kundra also remained member of Machiwara Notified Area Committee from 1982 to 1985. This time he will be heading the Nagar Council within the coming few days as he seems to be unanimous choice for the post of president. He is also close to the Samrala MLA, Amrik Singh Dhillon, and enjoys support of newly elected councillors of the town. 

  Kundar said, “I will become president of the civic body in coming days. I am busy making plans for the development of the town.”  Machiwara Nagar Council had received a grant of Rs 2.06 crore for development and the tendering process was on, he added. The development work would start after opening of tenders, he added. 

The work would start soon after the election process of the president and other posts was over, he said.  “Sewerage will be laid in the remaining area, including my Ward No. 6 without any political interference or irrespective of party affiliation of councillors,” he added. 

  “I want to make it clear that development of the town will be taken on priority. I will work hard to give Machiwara a look like a city,” he added. 

 “The development of all wards will start as per needs and without any political difference as I will be president of the whole town and not of some wards. The all-around development will be my agenda. I will hold meetings with all councillors to review development in all wards,” he said. 

 Kundra maintained that the formalities for selection of office- bearers were near completion and the work would start soon after they took charge in the coming days.

Will ensure that deprived get dues

Lovleen Bains

Sahnewal, December 23

It seems with his clear head and deep focus, Manjinder Singh Bhola can count his tasks in a fraction of a second.  The Congress councillor is enthused enough to state these with immediate effect. Bhola is disturbed when he says that blue cards in his ward had been issued to those, who were as affluent as one could be. “My first and foremost duty as the councillor of Ward No. 2 is to get their blue cards cancelled and to be passed on to those, who are needy in the real sense of the term,” he said. 

 “The scheduled caste community in my ward has been badly and intentionally ignored for the past number of years .They have been running from pillar to post to get old age and widow pensions, but to no avail. I will now pursue it seriously and see that just the deserving get their right due,” he asserted.

Bhola is already running a free dispensary in the name of his mother Gurcharan Kaur in his ward. “My effort will be to add X-ray, ultrasound, scanning and echo machine to the dispensary for the facility of those, who have no option except to visit private doctors and pay through their nose,” he added.

“I will ensure that poor girls of my ward are provided adequate funds for pursuing education,” said Bhola. “Further, the two big ponds in my ward need to be filled and a technical institute established at the place,” he shared.

Improve condition of roads, streets

Jaswant Shetra

Jagraon, December 23

Like other wards of the town, Ward No. 7 of Mullanpur Dakha Municipal Council has also been lacking in various facilities. Lack of cleanliness, poor condition of roads, streets, absence of street lights, unclean drains and overflowing sewerage are some of the major problems faced by residents.

The newly elected Municipal Councillor from Ward No. 7, Shakuntla Devi, says she would work for the overall development of the ward, but improving the condition of roads and streets was her first priority. 

 “The previous regime did nothing to improve roads and streets in my ward as a result these are in utterly bad condition. During the election campaign, I had promised to provide better road connectivity to residents and I am duty bound to fulfil my promise,” she said.

Shakuntla added that she would also focus on cleanliness and upgrading the sewerage. “There are many areas in my ward, where sewerage is yet to be laid.” she said.

 As most residents of Ward No. 7 fall under below poor category and majority of them are uneducated, the new councillor also wants to impart education by providing maximum facilities to residents. “Education is one of the most important things to achieve success and uplift living standard of the people. I will motivate residents of my ward to send their children to schools. For making this happen, I will also extend every possible help to residents,” she added.

Help residents live a dignified life

Mahesh Sharma

Malaudh, December 23

The councillor from Ward No. 4, Shwan Puri Terry, hails from a family, whose members have served the locality as chief of the civic body for three terms. Terry inherited and imbibed leadership traits from two-times president Sanjiv Puri and one time president of the Nagar Panchayat Indu Puri.

 Twenty four years old Terry Puri is the youngest councillor of the civic body. He filed nomination as an Independent candidate and was declared 

winner unopposed. “Though I don’t have any political aspirations I wish to learn fundamentals of selfless leaderships from all genuine statespersons, irrespective of their political or communal allegiance,” said Terry, who has already worked for welfare of all sections of society. He was director of the Punjab Agricultural Development Bank two years ago.

 A graduate in arts, Terry is pursuing his academic carrier in law. He has yet to appear for the last semester examination of the LLB. Being an Independent councillor Terry aspires to help residents of his ward live a dignified life, besides solve their varied problems by exploiting his own resources.

 “Construction and repair of some streets, laying of sewage pipes in uncovered areas, providing street lights and provision of safe drinking water have been major demands of residents,” said Terry.

As the profile of residents of his ward varies from labourers to entrepreneurs, the young councillor is all set to study their routine problems. “By identifying unnecessary litigation and allegations as major factors behind tension in middle class society, I will try my best to get disputes settled at the local level,” Terry said.