Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, August 20
Mayor Balwant Rai Nath, former SAD MLA Sarup Chand Singla, along with SAD councillors, on Monday staged a dharna against Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal outside the Mayor’s office located on the premises of the Municipal Corporation of Bathinda.
SAD leaders protested against the allocation of Rs 16 crore by Manpreet Badal to the Bathinda Improvement Trust for development works in the city.
They demanded that these funds should be allotted to the MCB to carry out development works.
The protesters raised slogans against the state government and the Finance Minister. They were also holding placards in hands with slogans “Loktantra di maryada kaim rakhi jave” and “Shehar vich bahut pending kam han vit mantra ji nagar nigam nu fund jari karo”.
While addressing mediapersons, Sarup Chand Singla said people had voted for Manpreet Badal with great expectations and he had been given the post of Finance Minister.
“Despite this he has failed to provide any relief to city residents as conditions have become worst at the ground level. Sewerage in the entire city is lying choked. After coming to power, he called back the money which was kept for desilting of the sewerage,” he added.
He added that sewage was lying stagnant on the roads due to which people were affected but the Finance Minister was least concerned about it and was busy in playing politics.
Mayor Balwant Rai Nath lashed out at Manpreet Badal for trying to suppress democracy by ignoring the elected representatives and issuing grant to the Bathinda Improvement Trust (BIT) for carrying out development works in the city.
He said it had happened for the first time that a government was suppressing the local government at this level.
Nath claimed that the MCB had the ability to carry out Rs 100-Rs 500 crore works in the city as in the past they had completed Rs 73 crore projects in four months.
“Even the state government also appreciated our work and we were given excellent ratings award for executing the work,” he added.
The Mayor also announced that they would not give no-objection certificate (NOC) to the BIT to carry out any work in their area.
He said the SAD-BJP government had given Rs 120 crore grant to the MCB, but after coming to power, the Congress government had not released any grant to them.
He said they would give five days to the Finance Minister to release funds to the MCB or they would intensify their stir.