Checking falling water table on top of his list

Kulwinder Sandhu

Moga, April 16

A journalist-turned politician, AAP MLA from Nihalsinghwala (reserved) constituency Manjit Singh Bilaspur says his primary aim is to end corruption in government departments, eradicate drug menace and create job avenues for the youth.

Having registered a landslide victory for the second consecutive term by a margin of 37,984 votes, he says he will work on improving public transport system, developing infrastructure for providing basic amenities, upgrading education facilities and uplifting the socio-economic status of women.

Battling tag of ‘dark zone’

I will impress upon the government to formulate a concrete policy to check the depleting underground water table, due to which my constituency has been declared a ‘dark zone’ by the Union Government. —Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Nihalsinghwala MLA

Bilaspur stresses the need to impress upon the state government to formulate a concrete policy to stop depleting underground water table, due to which his constituency has been declared as a ‘dark zone’ by the Union Government.

The AAP MLA got 65,156 votes by securing 46.11 per cent share. His nearest rival Bhupinder Singh Sahoke of the Congress got 27,172 votes (19.23 per cent) while Baldev Singh Manuke of the SAD got 26,758 votes (18.94 per cent). He says the traditional parties have deprived the residents of basic amenities such as potable water and efficient sewerage system.

“It was due to my efforts as MLA in the previous tenure that the state government launched a project to provide clean potable water to 37 villages in my constituency through canal water system,” he says. Extending the scheme to other villagers, he avers, is his priority.

“Soon after becoming MLA for the second term, I demanded from my government to improve the public transport system in rural areas and extend the services of government buses for the convenience of the rural folk. My priority is also to work towards cleaning the corrupt system and eradicating the drug menace. I will also deal with the problems of poor health and education facilities in the area, which have long been neglected by the previous governments,” he says.

The MLA says he will also put in efforts to set up a job-oriented college at Nihalsinghwala so that the local youth, after getting quality education, manage to get good jobs too. “The previous governments did nothing to provide job-oriented education and create job avenues for the local youth,” he claims.