Grievance redressal meeting postponed as Vij’s Sirsa visit cancelled

Energy, Transport and Labour Minister Anil Vij was scheduled to chair the District Grievance Redressal Committee meeting in Sirsa on Friday for the second time. In preparation, the local administration took action by clearing encroachments and capturing stray animals along the route of the minister’s convoy. However, on Thursday evening, the district administration announced that the meeting had been postponed until further notice.

On Thursday, municipal workers launched a large-scale anti-encroachment drive on the Dabwali and Barnala roads. They removed slums and relocated stray animals to shelters.

Besides, District Traffic Officer (DTO) Shamsher Singh removed street vendors occupying Parshuram Chowk and instructed them to set up their stalls at designated locations to avoid further encroachments.

Before Vij’s visit, a video of him went viral in which he expressed frustration over government officials not following his orders. Vij indicated that he might stop attending future grievance meetings if the situation didn’t improve and also closed his weekly public sessions in Ambala Cantt. He also vowed to take action for the people of Ambala Cantt, even if it meant launching an indefinite hunger strike.

In anticipation of Vij’s visit on January 31, the transport and energy departments were fully active. Official of the Transport Department ensured there were no bus queues outside the local bus stand, while the Electricity Department worked on ensuring uninterrupted power supply in the city.

This proactive approach of the Electricity Department comes after a previous incident wherein a power outage disrupted a public grievance session attended by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini in Sirsa, which resulted in embarrassment for officials concerned.