Demand letter not accepted, Beet residents heckle Deputy Speaker

Garhshankar, January 18

Heated arguments took place between the people of Beet area and Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Jai Krishan Singh Rouri, here today when members of the Beet Bhalai Committee went to submit a memorandum of demand to Rouri.

As the argument took place between the two sides, the Deputy Speaker left for his office without taking the memorandum. Angry committee members staged a dharna in front of the Deputy Speaker’s office and started raising slogans against the state government. Beet Bhalai Committee chairman Balveer Singh Bains and other members said in the Beet area, long power cuts had disturbed the daily life of people.

Protesting against the power cuts in front of the electricity office on Garhshankar- Anandpur road, they handed over a memorandum to the Executive Engineer of PSPCL. The Executive Engineer assured them that they would be provided 24-hour power supply. People alleged that instead of listening to the problems, Rouri accused the leaders of the Beet Bhalai Committee of selling drugs, and following that the people blocked the traffic and staged a protest.

The committee members said they would burn an effigy of Rouri at Adda Jhungian on Thursday.

Rouri said that he informed the committee members that action was being initiated on their demands, but instead they started arguing withhim, which created an atmosphere of tension.

Moreover, Rouri alleged that some of the persons who came to handover the memorandum were not of clean image. Some of them were allegedly involved in drug cases and FIRs were registered against them.