Jalandhar, March 29
The Punjab Government has removed Congress leader Namdev Arora from the membership of the Kapurthala Municipal Council.

The Local Bodies Department observed that Namdev Arora is unfit to continue as a member of the MC as he has been convicted in a cheating case.

In his four-page order dated March 24, the Local Bodies Department Secretary stated that “Namdev has been convicted by a court for an offence under Section 120 B, read with Sections 420, 468, of the IPC and Section 13 (1), read with Section 13 (2), of the PC Act and so the conviction certainly constitutes a defect of character in his case and therefore in my considered opinion, the conviction renders him unfit to be a member of the MC.”

Earlier, the Punjab Government issued a show cause notice the to the councillor from Ward 8, Namdev, asking him as to why he should be removed from his post. Replying to the show cause notice, Namdev stated that the complaint filed against him was based on frivolous grounds as the complainant Harbans Singh Walia had contested elections unsuccessfully against him.

Namdev stated that all disputes pertaining to the election matters required to be looked into by the election tribunal. He stated that his conviction had already been challenged and was pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Namdev was given a number of opportunities for his personal hearing. The Local Bodies Department Secretary stated that Namdev evaded his presence for a long time on one pretext or the other. The high court suspended his sentence, but his conviction was not stayed.

Earlier, the Kapurthala MC had recommended to remove Namdev Arora from the post of the councillor after taking action against him under Section 16 of the Punjab Municipal Act-1911 (amended in 1994).

The recommendation regarding Namdev Arora’s removal was made on the basis of a complaint filed by a local SAD leader, Harbans Singh Walia, of Mansoorwal Dona village.

In his complaint submitted to the Local Bodies Department, Walia demanded Namdev Arora’s removal from the post of councillor on the grounds of alleged moral turpitude and concealing facts in the nomination papers filed by him on June 17, 2008, for the MC elections regarding registration of a criminal case against him under different sections on March 10, 2003. Stating that his nomination papers were liable to be rejected for concealing facts, Walia stated that Namdev Arora had been convicted and sentenced to undergo imprisonment for three years by the special CBI court in Patiala in connection with the FIR registered against him seven years back under Sections 420, 468 and 120-B of the IPC, read with Sections 13 (1) and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Walia stated that another FIR under Section 31 of the Representation of Peoples Act and Sections 420 and 120 B of the IPC for having prepared two voter ID cards in different constituencies was registered against him.

Hoshiarpur, March 29
The faction, led by Dr Anup Kumar, president of the local DAV College Managing Committee, which is running more than a dozen colleges and schools in various parts of Punjab, has taken lead in the election to the committee for electing its 20 delegates from the members of the local Arya Samaj here on Sunday evening.

As many as 35 candidates were contesting elections for becoming delegates in the DAV College Managing Committee for a term of five years.

Out of the total 125 members of the local Arya Samaj, 123 participated in the elections, of which Dr Ajay Bagga took the lead by securing 114 votes. The other successful candidates are Dr Anup Kumar, Devinder Mohan, Dharambir Kapur, Prof Jarnail Singh, Jatinder Saini, Kiran Kumar Saini, Pawan Malhotra, Principal D. L. Anand, Rakesh Khanna, Rahul Sharma, Madan Lal Gandhi, Vishwa Mitter, Chander Mohan, Amandeep Chand, Danesh Duggal, Dr Arvinder Kumar, Rajiv Sud, Sandip Bhushan and Pardeep Kumar.

The elected delegates would elect the new president of the DAV College Managing Committee.

Hoshiarpur, March 29
To provide better travelling facilities to the people of Punjab, the state government is spending Rs 996 crore for the widening and strengthening of all-weather roads, improvement of basic infrastructure and transport during 2010-2011.

Disclosing this after inaugurating a bridge on the Chak Sadhu choe (seasonal rivulet), constructed at a cost of Rs 4.34 crore, on the Hoshiarpur-Una road, Punjab Minister for Medical Education and Research, Forest and Wildlife, Labour and Parliamentary Affairs Tikshan Sud said with the construction of the bridge, the Hoshiarpur-Una road had become all-weather road now.

There were five choes on the 12 km-long road from Hoshiarpur to Chack Sadhu. Bridges on the Jamunwala and Patiarian choes and causeways on the Bajwara and Jahan Khelan choes had already been constructed. Now the road had become all-weather route to Himachal Pradesh, Nangal Dam and Anandpur Sahib.

To provide regular irrigation facility to the marginal farmers of the Kandi area, 43 deep tubewells were being installed at a cost of Rs 18 lakh each.

He claimed that potable water supply to all the villages of Hoshiarpur segment had been provided and Shri Guru Ravi Dass Ayurvedic University was being set up at Hoshiarpur.

A modern bus stand with all the latest facilities had been constructed at Hoshiarpur at a cost of Rs 8 crore and a bridge had been constructed on the Bhangi choe at Gaushala bazaar at a cost of Rs 5 crore.

The minister distributed cheques for Rs 1.70 lakh among the mahila mandals and sports clubs of five villages.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Des Raj Dhugga, who was also present on the occasion, announced a grant of Rs 50,000 for the dharmshala of the village.