Punjab Diary: Too many cooks spoil the broth

Gurdaspur: The Circuit House, where not a single soul has stayed in the last three years, is a classic example of too many cooks spoiling the broth. The hospitality department maintains it, PWD repairs it, the Water Supply and Sanitation Department provides water while the district administration ensures its cleanliness. With absolutely no coordination among these agencies, the guest house has fallen on bad times. So much so, the lone chowkidar posted there says, “The place is haunted and voices of ghosts can be heard at night.” Can the agencies come together and save the facility? If yes, the ghosts will be automatically tamed!

Talk of the town

Pathankot: The ongoing tug-of-war between a Secretary-level officer and a senior officer of the administration has become the talk of the town. The officer is facing charges from several quarters that he favoured a local businessman by letting him encroach upon a piece of prime land. Following these allegations, the state government had ordered a demarcation exercise. Even as the final verdict is yet to be announced, the officer has gone to town, claiming that the other officer is behind his troubles. All eyes are now on the results of the demarcation exercise.

No MC Commissioner, works hit

Jalandhar: The Jalandhar Municipal Corporation has been without a Commissioner for the last 10 days. As a result, several routine works have been affected. Rishipal Singh, who joined as the MC Commissioner in August, was transferred within three months. “It has impacted the functioning of the civic body. Several projects are incomplete and payments of several contractors have not been released,” said an official. In the last one year, the MC has seen four different Commissioners.

Crying for attention

Amritsar: Residents of the walled city, known as ‘Guru Ki Nagri’, feel that its development is largely overlooked, except for two roads — the Hall Gate and Sikandari Gate — to and fro the Golden Temple. They say the rest of the city is characterised by heaps of garbage and stray menace. Former minister Lakshmi Kanta Chawla said leaders stay in luxury hotels and use only these two roads while visiting the Golden Temple. While the rest of the walled city is crying for attention, major grants are being diverted to the Civil Lines.

Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal, Akansha Bhardwaj and Neeraj Bagga