Eid gift for Malerkotla, to be district soon

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Malerkotla, June 26

The promise to make Malerkotla a district will be fulfilled soon. With the status of district, the area will see unprecedented development, said Razia Sultana, local MLA and Minister of State for Public Works Department, at a function to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr here today.

Finance Minister Manpreet Badal and Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu also attended the event.

The ministers did their best to woo the Muslim-dominated town with promises and funds worth Rs 1.5 crore for the local idgah.

In his greetings to the community, Manpreet said Prophet Muhammad gave the message of peace, brotherhood and coexistence to the world. He announced Rs 1 crore on behalf of the Punjab Government for the local idgah.

“In our first Budget, we have already made major announcements to provide all necessary facilities to the Muslim community. These include Rs 3 crore for an Urdu academy in Malerkotla, Rs 10 crore for graveyards in the state and benefits under various welfare schemes,” he said.

Sidhu announced Rs 50 lakh for the idgah and assured the people on district status. “Our government will also fulfil the promise of establishing a government medical college here,” said Sidhu.

Talking to the media at the residence of the local MLA, Manpreet said: “We must take steps to revive the state’s industry for growth.” On demanding royalty from Rajasthan for sharing water, he said: “I don’t have much hope from it. We should not see royalty as a potential source of money to revive our economy. The water sharing agreements were signed decades ago and I believe that we should look forward not backward to generate resources.”

Sidhu said the government would not spare anyone who had looted the state.

BSF, Pak Rangers exchange sweets

Amritsar: The two border-guarding forces at the international border - Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers - on Monday exchanged sweets at the Attari joint check post to mark Eid-ul-Fitr. BSF Commandant Sudeep Sharma exchanged sweets with Pakistan Rangers' Wing Commander Bilal Ahmad. Initially, the two forces did not exchange pleasantries and the media waited long to get a camera shot. Then, BSF officials received sudden instructions in this regard. Earlier, they used to exchange sweets at around 9 am, but on Monday, they did so at around 11.30 am. Earlier, there were reports that the two forces would skip the tradition due to continuous ceasefire violations and attack on police and security forces at the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. TNS

Sikhs distribute saplings

Muktsar: To celebrate Eid, some Sikh activists distributed saplings among public outside the Jama Masjid here on Monday. Jasvir Singh Khalsa, president, Sikh Virsa Council, Muktsar, said, "We distributed nearly 500 saplings to commuters to celebrate Eid.". TNS