Congress okays six names for Jalandhar Improvement Trust

Jalandhar, July 23

Even as there are just six months left for the ruling Congress government to perform ahead of the forthcoming Assembly polls, it is now that the Local Bodies Department has approved the names for six trustees for the Jalandhar Improvement Trust.

Among those whose names have been approved today through a notification issued by Principal Secretary Ajoy Kumar Sinha are three MC councilors — Kamlesh Grover, Pawan Kumar and Manmohan Singh Raju. While Grover is from ward No. 37 falling in Jalandhar West constituency, Pawan Kumar is a councillor from reserved ward No.30 of Jalandhar Cantonment and Raju is from ward No. 16 of Jalandhar Central constituency.

The other three trustees from among the residents are in fact Congress workers — Bhupinder Singh Jolly from Lajpat Nagar, Jaswinder Singh Billa from Guru Nanakpura and Rajesh Bhatti from Chandan Nagar. Jolly is an industrialist engaged in pipe fitting and a casting and close aide of Jalandhar MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh. He had recently also been appointed as the director of Punjab Small Industries and Exports Corporation. Billa had contested the MC polls on Congress ticket from ward No. 12 and had lost by a thin margin. Bhatti, a Dalit leader, has remained on the post of the PPCC secretary.

On getting two government portfolios in a week, Jolly said, “The government has assigned me twin tasks and I will try to give my best on both the fronts. Many industrialists have already started approaching me with their pendency of works in the PSIEC and I have begun getting their works done. At JIT, my main task will be attending meetings of the Trust and helping the applicants with the processing of their files. I am sure that I will be able to serve the people in both the government departments.”

These trustees will function only till the day the Model Code of Conduct for the Assembly polls is imposed, as the entire Trust will get dissolved on that day. — TNS