Babhat sore over being left out

Another villager flayed the Akali government for its failure to fulfill the election promise made to this village which is hardly 1 km from Zirakpur. quot;Several leaders, including Kanwaljit Singh during his election campaign, promised inclusion of the village when the Zirakpur MC was formed,quot; he added.

quot;The godown owners here are responsible for the present situation; they have been ruling the roost over the years,quot; village sarpanch Dharma Singh said. He accused government officials and godown owners of being in cahoots and said: quot;We have conveyed our resentment to the Punjab government. They can8217;t exclude Babhat from the new MC and expect us to accept it,quot; he added.

Eight villages are to be merged for the formation of Municipal Council, namely Lohgarh, Himatgarh, Bartana, Bishangarh, Dhakoli, Nabha Sahib, Zirakpur and Bishanpura.

Meanwhile, Nabha Sahib panchayat has passed a resolution criticising the inclusion of the village in Zirakpur and said the step was taken just to appease senior bureaucrats and politicians who want to regularise their farmhouses. The village is located five km from Zirakpur and people feel that they would be meted stepmotherly treatment when the MC comes into being.