Dhir assumes office of Jalandhar Mayor
Vaneet Dhir, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor from Ward No. 62, was officially declared as the Jalandhar’s new Mayor on Saturday, along with Balbir Singh Bittu and Malkeet Singh, who were announced as Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor, respectively.
In his first address after taking charge of the Mayor’s office, Dhir outlined his vision and priorities for Jalandhar’s development, while emphasising that every effort would be made to improve the city’s infrastructure and quality of life for its residents. He assured that public funds would be utilised effectively to transform Jalandhar into a Smart City, while saying, “Every single penny will be invested in building a better city for all. The misuse of funds will not be tolerated under my leadership.”
Dhir also reiterated Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s strong stance on corruption, specifically addressing concerns over the Jalandhar Smart City Project. “The project has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, with allegations of fund misuse,” Dhir said, while adding that he would investigate who were responsible for this. He said stalled projects would be resumed to ensure that Jalandhar becomes the city it deserves to be.
The new Mayor also turned his focus on the city’s longstanding civic issues. Highlighting challenges such as waste management, damaged roads, poor sewerage systems, contaminated water supply and stray dog populations, Dhir assured the people that urgent action would be taken on these matters. “People deserve better basic services and infrastructure,” he added.
“In the coming years, I am committed to resolving these issues comprehensively,” Dhir said. Another thing Dhir mentioned during his address was that his administration would collaborate across the party lines. He said despite political rivalries during the elections, all councillors, regardless of their party affiliation, would work as a united team for Jalandhar’s growth. “Today, we all have the same aim — the development of Jalandhar. Our differences are behind us. Now it’s time for working together for the city’s betterment,” he said.
