PATIALA: The police last week arrested former MLA and president of the Patiala Bache Committee Bir Devinder Singh along with his supporters to preempt their bid to stage a dharna in front of the municipal committee office here.
Byer since his arrest last week the area around the municipal committee had been cordoned off and virtually turned into a police camp. The main purpose of the dhama and in fact the entire agitation launched by the Committee since May 8 was according to Bir Devinder Singh to bring home the point that flood control measures were not sufficient in Patiala district and that it remained under the threat of another major disaster.
He condemned the government for smothering the democratic rights of the people to express themselves freely and for unleashing a wave of repression against the people. The press statement said that the administration may not be able to complete the work within the given time frame. Therefore more men and machinery had to be engaged for these works. He said that the Railway authorities had not taken any initiative as yet to clear the siphons under the railway tracks which were lying choked The irrigation department had also not taken any steps to widen the siphons near Alowal on Patiala-Nabha road.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 1, 1994
