Credit for ‘incomplete’ road project pits MLA against councillor

Police had to be called to the Punjabi Bagh area on Saturday after a row over who should inaugurate a yet to be completed Rs 19 lakh road project nearly led to clashes between two groups: one supporting independent councillor Daljit Singh Bhola and the other Akali Dal MLA Ranjit Dhillon. While the project falls in ward 8, represented by councillor Bhola, it is also in the constituency of MLA Ranjit Dhillon.

Ironically, the project is yet to be completed as rain drains need to be installed on the road. The MLA was to inaugurate the project on Saturday morning as the foundation stone had been erected in his name, but before his arrival, Bhola's supporters broke that foundation stone saying that the work had been done using the councillor's quota. With both groups, including the councillor and the legislator, yelling at each other, police personnel from four different stations arrived to defuse the situation.

Later Bhola claimed that he inaugurated the project, while Dhillon's supporters gave the legislator the credit. "The area residents themselves broke the foundation stone and called me saying that the MLA was taking credit for work, sanctioned by me. The MLA must bring funds from his quota and get more development done in the area rather than taking credit of councillors' works. This is not in keeping with a legislator's stature," Bhola said. Dhillon, however, was not available for comments while his supporters claimed that the MLA had inaugurated the project.

SHO, Jodhewal Basti, Balwinder Singh when contacted said: "We went there to defuse the tension and later both parties went home. Nothing untoward happened." Councillor Bhola, meanwhile, was a SAD member but contested as an independent after he was denied a party ticket in the last elections.

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