13 days to poll, AAP gets dump yard of dead animals sealed
Deepkamal Kaur
Jalandhar, June 27
Just a day after Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann started camping in the city, the Municipal Corporation got into action in the poll-bound Jalandhar West area. The first action was the sealing of a dump yard of dead animals (popularly called hadda rori) in Buta Mandi by the health team of the civic body this morning.
Since there are several people running tannery businesses in the godowns in the area, they were reportedly getting raw material from this privately owned site where the hide of animals was being removed and carcasses were being dumped. Even though it fell right in the residential area and adjoined a government school, the government had not taken action until the voters flagged the issue to the leaders visiting these houses to seek votes.
AAP leader Pawan Tinu, who unsuccessfully contested the recent LS poll in Jalandhar, said, “The Punjab and Haryana High Court had passed orders for the closure of the dump at the site. Even the PPCB had issued a notice to the owner. But as we took up the issue with the MC officials, they finally acted upon it and brought relief to the residents in the area.” Even the MC staff and police teams that reached the site for action this morning had to cover their noses and mouths with handkerchiefs as the foul smell had made it difficult for them to stand the smell.
Soon after the action by the MC, Pawan Tinu addressed a gathering of the residents at Shri Guru Ravidass Mandir at Bank Colony and told people that the sealing action came only after CM Mann took up the matter with the officials. The event held in violation of the poll code at a religious place was made to look like a thanksgiving ceremony in favour of the AAP, with voters of the area made to cheer in support of the ruling party.
Jalandhar Congress MP Charanjit Channi said, “The AAP had faced a drubbing in the LS polls, especially in Jalandhar West, where they were down against us by 29,000 votes. Now that CM Mann is here, he is getting the government machinery used and is using pressure tactics to make a difference. Holding political events in religious places is a violation that the AAP leaders are brazenly committing. The ECI must take note of all this.”
