I-Day celebrations remain a low-key affair in Jalandhar

Our Correspondent

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Jalandhar, August 16

The 74th Independence Day celebrations were held in the city on Saturday after following Covid-19 SOPs and limiting the attendance of the public and special invitees.

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The celebrations were restricted to the unfurling of the national flag by Cooperation and Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, his address and honouring of ‘Covid Warriors’, who contributed wholeheartedly in this battle against the novel coronavirus despite a spike in Covid cases.

A total of 35 corona fighters from the Health, Police, MC departments and various walks of life were felicitated at the local Guru Gobind Singh Stadium here for their remarkable contribution to society in these trying situations arising out of the pandemic.

In his address, Randhawa said country would always remain indebted to all these medical professionals, cops, sanitation employees and others who remained on the frontline and risked their lives in the battle against the pandemic by performing their duties religiously.

He said these corona warriors were soldiers without uniform and their hard work was playing a pivotal role in combating the contagion.

Rs 25L upgraded ICU facility unveiled at Civil Hospital

Punjab Cooperation and Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa inaugurated projects worth Rs152 crore for Jalandhar to boost district’s development on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day.

Randhawa inaugurated six projects of water supply and sanitation in Gohawar, Gurka, Bhagwanpur and Jalandhar West, Adampur, and a new sweeping machine worth Rs5.96 crore Jalandhar city. He formally unveiled the upgraded ICU facility at the Civil Hospital for Covid patients, which have come up at the cost Rs25 lakh approximately.

The Cabinet Minister also announced a slew of development projects worth Rs145.44 crore, which includes the construction of new 50-MLD STP and rehabilitation of existing 100-MLD STP in Pholriwal worth Rs68.59 crore; sewer scheme in Dhina, Sansarpur, Alaidinpur, Nangal Krar Khan, Khusropur, Rehmanpur, Sofi Pind, Khambra, Deep Nagar and Alipur villages worth Rs66.91 crore; widening of the Nakodar-Malsian link road via Sihariwal to Shala Nagar worth Rs2.5 crore and a new 66.KV power sub-station worth Rs7.44 crore.

The minister said: “Despite the battle against Covid-19, the state government led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder will fulfil its every promise to ensure comprehensive growth of the state and prosperity of its people. He said no stone would be left unturned to usher in an era of unprecedented growth and development in every nook and corner of the state.

He said the government was fully committed to fulfil every promise made to people of Punjab. He said these projects worth more than Rs152 crore would give the much-needed impetus to the development of the city.

The minister said no doubt Covid-19 had hit the government badly, but there would be no dearth of funds for development in the state, adding that the state government had already done adequate planning for the holistic development of the urban and rural areas of the state.

He said the development in the state would get a major push in the coming months.

Honour for frontline workers

Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori, Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Additional Deputy Commissioner Jasbir Singh, honoured Superintendent Grade-1 Anil Kumar Kala; Medical Officer Dr Harneet Kaur; staff nurse Narinder Kaur; health assistants Satpal, Jagjit and Tarlochan; ward attendant Sunil Kumar; Manjit Kaur; Bhogpur MC accountant Lavkesh Kumar; Kartarpur MC clerk Rahul; Nakodar MC Sewadar Uma Shankar; Improvement Trust Driver Kartar; Inspector Aman Saini; ASI Harnek Singh; Head Constable Rajveer Singh; lady constable Manroop Kaur; sanitation employees Raj Kumar, Balviro, Vikas, Rajinder Kumar and Geeta; Meritorious School accountant Harish Kumar; Sub-inspectors Ravinder Kumar and Shashi Pal; ASI Traffic staff Jasvir Singh; ASI Kewal Singh; ASI Jagdish Chand; ASI Paramjit Singh; Sub Fire Officer Varinder Kumar; Assistant Health Officer Dr Raj Kamal; SDO Public Health Gagandeep Singh; and clerks Vishwanath, Anil Bhardwaj, Gaurav Jain and Gurbinder Singh.