Cong nominees file papers for 50 wards

Tribune News Service

Mohali, February 2

Cabinet Minister and local MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu has said Opposition parties, including the SAD, Azad Group and the BJP, are unable to field their candidates in all 50 wards of the Municipal Corporation the elections of which will be held on February 14.

Led by Balbir Singh Sidhu, all 50 candidates, including his brother Amarjeet Singh Sidhu, filed their nominations at the district administrative complex and the Punjab Mandi Board office today.

Addressing the media, Balbir Singh Sidhu said they would fight the polls on development works carried out by the Congress government in Mohali in the past four years. He said a medical college and a modern community centre in Phase 3B1 would be set up at a cost of Rs14 crore and Rs6.38 crore, respectively. Work of replacing the damaged sewer system had also been started at a cost of Rs22 crore, he said.

Sidhu said five new booster sets would be installed in the city to improve the water supply. To curb the stray menace, a gaushala would be set up at Balongi village, he said.

Meanwhile, 652 candidates filed their nomination papers for the Mohali Municipal Corporation and seven municipal councils of the district.

District Election Officer Girish Dayalan said 178 candidates filed their papers for the Mohali MC. With regard to the Municipal Council elections, 73 candidates filed papers at Nayagaon, 24 at Banur, 48 at Kurali, 59 at Dera Bassi, 90 at Zirakpur, 70 at Lalru and 110 from at Kharar.

Will develop Mohali in five years: Ex-Mayor

Mohali: All candidates of the Azad Group are seeking votes in the name of development carried out in the past five years and our main goal is to develop Mohali in the next five years making it a world-class city. These views were expressed by former Mayor Kulwant Singh while campaigning for candidates of the Azad Group in various wards of Mohali.

Kulwant said he had carried out all-round development in every ward of Mohali without any discrimination in the past five years. It was a matter of pride for Mohali that it was the first city in Punjab to have an open air gym in every ward.

As a result of planting lakhs of saplings in the past five years, the air quality in Mohali was much better than other cities. It would be even better in the next five years.

On being questioned regarding the declaration of Mohali as open defecation free, he said it was a matter of pride for Mohali and was another step in improving the lives of the people, which has been his sole aim. — TNS