LUDHIANA: Confusion, lack of coordination in the Government departments and inflated claims characterize the Activity Week in progress, in Ludhiana, to mark the completion of Beant Singh government’s three years in office. The attempt is more at paper work to show that the deadline was met, for instance of a foundation stone, rather than extending a meaningful benefit to the people

Perhaps the most cheated are the Dalits, to please whom foundation of a proposed Ambedkar Bhawan in memory of the founder of the Indian Constitution, Dr.B.R. Ambedkar was laid. The invitees came as early as 8 a.m. But the minister in charge Shamsher Singh Dullo, who holds the Excise and Taxation portfolio, turned up only at 4:30 p.m. to perform the ceremony. Folk singers had to be roped in to keep them in their seats till that time

However, what has really Crawn the flak is the foundation for the Rs 2 crore bhawan has been laid, virtually. in thin air. No land has been allotted for the project so far and last minute attempts to acquire a plot of land for the purpose have proved futile.

The authorities had presumed that getting land from the Punjab Agro Industries Corporation (PAC) would hardly pose any problem. The corporation has ample vacant space near Jalandhar bypass chowk and is also Suitable since already a statue of Dr. Ambedkar stands, there, in the chowk. When the authorities started dumping construction material on February 17 last, the PAIC staff in the nearby office, were taken unawares The senior manager (Works), S.S. Brar, immediately, dashed off a message to his headquarter in Chandigarh drawing attention of high-ups to this illegal construction that was to commence, Consequently, the chairman of the corporation, Darshan Singhbrar, stoutly put his foot down at the meeting of the District Preparatory Committee for the activity week “since the bhawan shall belong to the Welfare Department, the same should provide the land also, and not the PAIC,” he said in unambiguous terms.

This put the authorities in a fix because, finalizing another site would be time consuming and was sure to delay the already announced planned. Eventually, the personal intervention of the Chief Minister, Beant Singh, helped in keeping up the pretence of foundation laying while the actual site would be selected later. Strangely nobody from PAIC attended the ceremony through foundation has been -laid on its land.

Article extracted from this publication >> February 24, 1995