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Maluka’s function boycotted Badiala (Bathinda), may 12 The PSEB authorities failed to make proper arrangements for uninterrupted power to the village. The new power lines laid for the purpose were damaged during tests conducted by PSEB personnel before the inaugural function. Employees of the PSEB had to work overtime for making the inauguration function possible because it was rescheduled to an earlier date. To avoid the anger of the minister, they resorted to supplying the power through a generator. Senior officials of the PSEB said all would have been fine if the inauguration was done as per the schedule. The sarpanch and most panchayat members did not attend the function. They were annoyed that the minister had held the function in a hurry without taking the villagers into confidence. The sarpanch in fact, made himself unavailable at his residence fearing that he may be ‘coerced’ by the minister into attending the function. The panchayat members and villagers assembled at the residence of Mr Mukhtiar Singh Badiala, brother of Sant Fateh Singh, one of those who had propounded Punjabi Suba. They were visibly upset at the way the Power Minister had held the function. Some said the Power Minister was “patronising” those leaders who had held a rally parallel to that of the SAD at the village, during the time of elections. Mr Mukhtiar Singh had written a letter to the Chief Minister urging him that the Power Minister be asked not to hold the function without the consent of the villagers. The anger of the villagers was also on account of the fact that they had worked on laying the power supply line from the grid station to their village for more than two months. The PSEB authorities agreed that the task of laying about 13-km supply line would not have been possible at short notice without the help of the villagers. The task needed significant manpower and machinery. Mr Sikander Singh Maluka, when contacted, denied he had instructed the PSEB officials to prepone the inauguration function. He said it did not matter much if the sarpanch of the village was present on the occasion or not. |
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