ISSUE OF DISTRICT STATUS : Agitation intensifies in Ferozepur, Abohar

Chander Parkash
Tribune News Service

Ferozepur/Abohar, January 7
While 11 members of the Zila Bachao Sangharsh Committee, Ferozepur, have started a chain fast in front of the Deputy Commissioner office to press the state government not to initiate any move to bifurcate Ferozepur district by carving out Fazilka as a district out of it, representatives of various organisations of Abohar, under the banner of the Sacha Morcha, staged a dharna in front of the SDM office for acceptance of the demand of granting district status to their subdivision.

Members of the District Bar Association, Ferozepur, along with representatives of different organisations, including trade bodies, today took out a march to lodge their protest against the proposed move of the Punjab Government to bifurcate Ferozepur district. They also jammed traffic at the Sher Shah Wali Chowk for hours together.

KD Syal, president, District Bar Association, Ferozepur, and convener, Sangharsh Committee, said their agitation would continue till the state government gave them assurance that Ferozepur would not be bifurcated.

On the other hand, representatives of various organisations, including the members of Bar Association, Abohar, today staged a dharna in front of the SDM office demanding that Abohar must be elevated to district without delay.

A section of SAD, BJP and Congress leaders, including Vijay Laxmi Bhadu, chairperson, Punjab Social Welfare Board; Gurtej Singh, MLA, Balluana; Sanjeev Godara, political adviser, SAD; Sandeep Rinwa and Sandeep Jakhar also joined the agitation. Rajnit Phore, secretary, Bar Association, Abohar, said the organisations fighting for the district status for Abohar had formed a Sacha Morcha comprising 15 members.

The morcha, led by NK Garg, president, Bar Association, would conduct the agitation. He said tomorrow the city would observe a bandh and the morcha would carry out a protest march across the town. Later, the morcha would stage a dharna at the Nehru garden of the town. The agitation would continue till the government accept their demand.

FAZILKA: The situation in this town became tense after a resident of Muthianwali village climbed a water tank and threatened to commit suicide if the state government failed to accord district status to Fazilka. However, before the situation could take an ugly turn, a team of policemen, along with other residents, managed to persuade him to come down.

The town observed complete bandh for the third day today on the call given by the Beopar Mandal, Fazilka. Only chemist shops and vegetable shops were opened.

Mohinder Partap Dhingra, chairman, Improvement Trust, Fazilka, today joined Surjit Jiyani, BJP MLA, and Charan Singh, president, SAD, Fazilka circle, in their fast unto death, which entered into the third day today.

However, Tikshan Sud, Forest Minister, Punjab, and Rajesh Bagha and Manjeet Singh Rai, both senior leaders of the BJP, who reached this town as representatives of the state government and the BJP, respectively, to take stock of the situation, said things had been moving in right direction as Badal had constituted a subcommittee in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Beopar Mandal has decided to continue its bandh tomorrow also.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110108/punjab.htm#1