Malhi may take charge as Trust chairman today

Ashok Kaura

Phagwara, September 24

The newly appointed chairman of the Improvement Trust, Phagwara, Kashmir Singh Malhi, is expected to take charge in the presence of Punjab Local Bodies Minister Balkar Singh on Monday morning.

Ajoy Sharma, Secretary, Local Bodies Department, Punjab, issued a notification to appoint eminent lawyer Kashmir Singh Malhi as the new Chairman of Improvement Trust, Phagwara, on September 18. The notification was issued in supersession of the notification of March 29.

Even that notification was issued about three months after the announcement by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann who appointed chairpersons of 17 Improvement Trusts of Punjab on January 12 this year. The notification for the appointment of 11 chairpersons was issued on April 3, and after one month, the appointment of five other chairpersons was notified. But surprisingly, no notification could be issued by the state government for Phagwara till now.

Notably, as per the announcement and orders of Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan on January 12, advocate Kashmir Singh Malhi was announced as Chairman of Phagwara Improvement Trust but he kept awaiting the notification.

It may be mentioned here that despite claims of unity in AAP, all is not well in Phagwara. Former minister Joginder Singh Maan is heading one faction of the AAP here while the other group is headed by Santosh Kumar Gogi, who was the AAP candidate in the last assembly elections and was defeated. Maan was the AAP candidate in 2022 assembly elections and was defeated by the Congress candidate Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal.

Despite stern instructions of the AAP high command to ensure unity, factionalism is preventing such efforts. AAP leaders Daljit Raju and Harji Maan are making efforts to induct more and more people in AAP under the leadership of Joginder Singh Maan.

On the other hand, District Planning Board Chairperson Lalita Saklani, advocate KS Malhi and principal Nirmal Singh (retd) are supporting Gogi. The assumption of charge by advocate Malhi may help put an end to all speculations about factionalism in the party.

#Kashmir #Phagwara