Punjab Diary: Manpreet back in the action?

Muktsar: With hoardings congratulating former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal surfacing, and repair work at his office-cum-residence in Gidderbaha on, rumours are rife that the BJP leader may soon become politically active in the Gidderbaha Assembly constituency. Badal was elected MLA from this constituency four times in a row before losing to Amrinder Singh Raja Warring in 2012.

Tomato politics, and tea & biscuits

Patiala: As tomato farmers face misery due to crop-loss after the late blight attack, villages around Sanaur are witnessing seemingly unending visits by politicians from different parties to show their sympathy. These days, farmers are busy offering tea and biscuits to the visitors. “Maybe one of them will help in expediting the girdawari process and getting us compensation for the losses,” a farmer said.

Punjabi kinnows for West Asia

Chandigarh: The UAE-based LuLu group, which owns 250 supermarkets in the West Asia, has agreed to buy 1,500 tonnes of kinnow from the state. The commodity is valued at Rs 5 crore. The deal was struck due to the efforts of Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Sahney. He said: “I knew the LuLu group was engaged in getting produce from Pakistan. I showed them a new destination, which helped our farmers. There is a lot that can be done to help farmers in new ways.”

New bus stand, a bridge too far?

Gurdaspur: The new bus stand that was meant to ease traffic congestion in the city is posing a new set of problems to residents, for now hundreds of passengers are forced to go to the new venue to board buses daily, and this involves expenses, and also a search for transport. The move has also increased traffic on the Tibri road, which has seen a fourfold surge in vehicle moving through it.

Politics at press club election

Amritsar: Election to the press club here has become a pain in the neck for the administration, which has finally decided to intervene and to conduct the poll. Elections to the eight-year-old body have been held only once — two years ago. As the executive body completed its term of two years, a group of journalists claimed victory, claiming it was elected unanimously. Later, another group followed suit. An administration official said: “Journalists seem to have become better at politics than politicians!”

A salute to Maj Gen Suri, 1971 war hero

Fazilka: The Second Battalion of the Rajput Regiment has raised “General Raj Kumar Suri VrC” memorial corner at the Asafwala War Memorial here. The 1971 war hero’s memorial was inaugurated by Prem Suri, the octogenarian wife of the late Major General Raj Kumar Suri, on Vijay Diwas recently. Suri was the commanding officer of 4 Jat Regiment in Fazilka sector. Suri suffered wounds in action and was honoured with the third-highest military gallantry award, Vir Chakra.

(With inputs from Archit Watts, Mohit Khanna, Sanjeev Bariana, Ravi Dhaliwal, Manmeet Singh Gill and Praful Chander Nagpal)