Half-baked streets, full-blown drama

Ludhiana: A high-level drama was witnessed in Prem Nagar ward number 70 on Tuesday when MLA North Madan Lal Bagga and BJP councillor Suman Verma came to loggerheads with each other over the inauguration of development works under the councillor quota and alleged interference in the working. Recently, the councillor inaugurated the work to construct streets in Prem Nagar, but after scratching half the road, work was left in between.The councillor even approached the MC commissioner with a written complaint. Now, when the MLA reached the area to inaugurate other streets in a similar area, the residents also questioned him to first complete the previously inaugurated work and then dig up other roads. The councillor asked the MLA when these works were approved under the councillor quota, then why he was desperate to inaugurate these works. The MLA, however, answered that funds were given by the ruling govt, so he came to inaugurate the works, and it was in his constituency that major development works were taking place. Bagga asked the residents if he should stop the development works in the area, then residents reacted that they did not mean to stop development works, but internal rifts among leaders should not affect the ongoing works.Residents caught in ribbon rivalryAfter this heated argument session, the MLA asked the officials to get the works done where it had already started. The councillor, Suman Verma, claimed that he had no issues with the MLA inaugurating the work, but in case the area councillor inaugurates the works approved under the councillor quota, then it should not be stopped. He said the development works are for the public, not for any party or its leader. However, after this ruckus, MLA Bagga inaugurated some other works, including the development of a park in New Deep Nagar, and even there people complained that earlier there was no cleanliness in this park and just before the visit of the MLA, the sweepers came and cleaned it. The residents claimed that they did not see it this much clean in the past, so they requested the MLA to visit the park regularly.