Working hard for a hat-trick

WHAT SHE DELIVERED: Initiated work to give a new look to Patiala with widened roads,improvement in health and sanitation infrastructure,got a multi-crore sewerage treatment plant,released Rs 24.43 crore out of a total of Rs 26.31 crore made available under the MPLAD fund,issued liberal grants for streetlights,drains,new roads,improvement of health and educational facilities.

WHERE SHE FAILED: No new trains linking Delhi were introduced,Shatabdi Express could not be restarted,no new industry came,four-laning of Chandigarh-Patiala road remained a distant dream and night bus service between Ambala and Chandigarh remained poor.

ATTENDANCE IN LOK SABHA: 76.5 per cent. She attended 254 of the total 332 sittings in 15 sessions.

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS OR ASKED ISSUES TAKEN UP: She asked only seven questions,and raised issues like incentives for industrial development,Punjab’s outstanding anti-terrorism loan,toll fee collection on NH-1,expansion of oil refineries at Mathura and Panipat,report of Garg Commission on Khanna rail accident,allocation of funds under poverty alleviation programmes and complaints by BPCL dealers. She also participated in eight debates on devastation caused by floods in Patiala constituency,natural calamities and need for providing financial assistance to farmers for damage to crops,besides a discussion on need for review of duty on drugs and budget discussion. She also brought a motion for consideration of Jallianwala Bagh as a national memorial.

OPINIONS: “Preneet Kaur has done a lot of work in the area. She has been a quiet worker,who does not brag about her achievements. She is also amiable,” says a retired Army officer an educationist Swarajinder Singh.

“Preneet was not available to the people of her segment. And on development front too,there is a lot to be done,” says Veerpal Kaur,a housewife.

Votes secured by top three candidates in 2004 election

Preneet Kaur (Congress): 4,09,917

Capt Kanwaljit Singh (SAD): 3,86,250

Hargopal Singh (BSP): 39,331

Total votes polled: 8,74,131