Rs 1 cr okayed for memorial, construction to begin soon

Tribune News Service

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Sangrur, July 31

Three ministers and Punjab Mandi Board chairman Lal Singh attended the state-level function to pay homage to Udham Singh on his 79th martyrdom day at Sunam in the district. Due to some urgent meeting, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh did not attend the function. The government has sanctioned Rs 2.28 crore to construct a memorial to the martyr.

“The construction of the memorial will start soon as Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has cleared Rs 1 crore, out of the total sanctioned amount of Rs 2.28 crore, as the first instalment. The cheque will be handed over to the Sunam authorities in a few days. The Chief Minister was keen to come here, but due to an urgent meeting he could not come and deputed us to attend the function,” said Sadhu Singh Dharmsot, Punjab Cabinet Minister, during the function at the Sunam grain market.

The other ministers who attended the function were Razia Sultana and Vijay Inder Singla. “Punjab has seen worst time during the 10-year rule of the SAD-BJP government as there was lawlessness across the state. Peddlers openly supplied drugs to youngsters and ruined their lives. We have launched a big campaign against drugs and broke the supply line. Punjab residents must support the campaign against drugs to make our state drug-free,” said Vijay Inder Singla.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) spokesman Daman Thind Bajwa, who made all arrangements for the function, said despite being the native town of great martyr Udham Singh, Sunam has not got much-needed facilities and many areas are still without basic amenities as SAD-BJP leaders made only claims and did nothing.

“Sunam residents have heard only announcements for the construction of memorial. But now with the release of money, I am hopeful our town would get a memorial to the martyr,” said Bajwa.

District Congress chief Raja Beerkalan, Dhuri MLA Dalvir Goldy, Sangrur DC Ghanshayam Thori, SSP Dr Sandeep Garg and relatives of the martyr also attended the function. “Our government has started fulfilling all promises we made in our manifesto,” said Razia Sultana.

Fatehgarh Sahib: All those who sacrificed their lives for the nation are always remembered and become a source of inspiration for the coming generations. The communities which forget and don’t respect their martyrs cannot make any progress and their future is not safe. This was stated by MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra and Bassi Pathana MLA Gurpreet Singh GP while paying tributes to Shaheed Udham Singh on his 78th martyrdom day at his memorial situated near Rauza Sharif on Tuesday. — OC

Kin ‘denied’ entry to VIP enclosure

Martyr Udham Singh’s relatives Jagga Singh and his father Jeet Singh were not allowed to enter the VIP enclosure despite having entry card. They were allowed entry only when some mediapersons raised the issue with senior officers.

MP for martyr’s portrait in Parliament

• New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP Prem Singh Chandumajra on Tuesday demanded that Parliament should have a portrait of Shaheed Udham Singh. 
• Udham Singh had killed Michael O’ Dwyer, a former Lieut Governor of Punjab, in London in 1940. He was convicted and hanged by the British govt in the same year
• Chandumajra, who is an MP from Anandpur Sahib, demanded that a statue of the freedom fighter be installed at the Jallainwala Bagh, Amritsar, to mark the 100th anniversary of the massacre. TNS