Fazilka, January 8
The residents of Fazilka felt disappointed when the 150-day-old agitation launched by the Sanjha Morcha to get district status for this town came to an abrupt end after the Punjab minister Tikshan Sub announced that by April 2011, Fazilka could be a district.

The residents, who observed a complete bandh a number of times in the past 150 days and suffered economically, were agitated over the attitude of a section of leaders and alleged that they had been cheated.

On the other hand, fissures also appeared in the Sanjha Morcha when one of its members Parveen Dhanju alleged that the interests of Fazilka had been sold out by the leaders. He said the Sanjha Morcha should not have ended its agitation without getting the district status for Fazilka. President of the Beopar Mandal Ashok Gulbadher said the traders had been feeling cheated by the leaders. In future, the Beopar Mandal would make efforts on its own to get the district status. A section of the residents tried to remove the hoardings of the leaders erected near the Clock Tower and other places to protest against today’s development but the police reached on time.

A few traders were not willing to open their establishments to protest against the decision of those who were holding agitation for the district status to end the same without any positive result. “Who would make up for the losses they had suffered on account of closing their business for days,” they questioned?

Meanwhile, convener of the Sanjha Morcha Sushil Gumber, while claiming that the state government would accord the district status to Fazilka within a few months, said if it was denied to them within the stipulated period, he along with his family members would go on fast-unto-death. He said he had conducted the agitation with honesty and had not betrayed anyone. 

Ferozepur, January 8
Bikram Jit Majithia, patron, Youth Akali Dal, asked the former CM Capt Amarinder Singh to stage a dharna in front of the residence of the Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh and AICC supreme Sonia Gandhi in Delhi as the Congress-led UPA government allowed unprecedented price rise and denial of essential commodities to commoners.

“When he can sit on a dharna in front of the residence of then PM AB Vajpayee in 2002, why can’t the Captain do so now,” questioned Majithia?

“The Congress has taken inflation to whopping 18.3 per cent,” he alleged. Those who attended the rally included Janmeja Singh Sekhon, irrigation minister, Sher Singh, MP, Avtar Singh Minna, Rohit Vohra, presidents, Youth Akali Dal, rural and urban, Ferozepur respectively , Vardev Mann, member, SGPC, Parambans Romana, chairman, Improvement Trust, Faridkot and others.

“Punjab has been receiving only 1.29 per cent of funds, which the Centre distributed to the states despite contributing highly to the Central pool,” he said. The time has come when Amarinder must fight against the injustice,” he said. — TNS 

Bathinda, January 8
Bathinda SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill today launched a special drive to curb haphazard parking in the city. Challan stickers are being pasted on the windscreens of the vehicles wrongly parked.On the first day of the drive, the police pasted around 50 stickers, informed ASP (City) Bikramjit Singh Bhatti.

The seriousness of the drive could be gauged from the fact that the police did not even spare an official deputed with the Deputy CM, as his official Ambassador bearing red beacon atop was wrongly parked on the Mall road. However, the driver paid the fine on the spot and got a clearance slip.

The development has taken place after MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal directed the Bathinda SSP on Friday against showing lenience towards the offenders even if they boast being VIP by putting read beacon atop their vehicles.

The ASP (City) said, "To curb the menace of wrong parking, which leads to traffic congestion, we devised a mechanism of pasting stickers on the windshield of vehicles and collect fine from the violators by putting up check posts (Nakas) in the city. The cops deputed at the check posts would ensure no vehicle, bearing the challan sticker, crosses the post without showing the clearance slip."

He added, "A register will be maintained in which details related to the offence would be entered. The challaned vehicle will be videographed. After confirming the details about the owner of the vehicle from the DTO, we will send challans to their addresses also."