New DC ends his work in border district

Punjab: The new Deputy Commissioner (DC) Vishesh Sarangal will have to put all his strength in dealing with the problems of this district.

Every DC has had its own development agenda in the last 15 years. When they were transferred, some had excellent results to show, while others went into oblivion after putting in sub-standard efforts. Now all eyes are on the new office bearer. Residents say they are sure he would be well aware of Archimedes’ principle of the lever which says: “Give me a lever long enough and a base on which to rest it and I will make the world go round.” In other words, if a DC is provided with proper facilities and is surrounded by a suitable work environment, it can change the face of this border district.

Sarangal joined office this morning.
The first and foremost challenge for the new office bearer is the repair, re-carpeting and reconstruction of the 25 km long dilapidated stretch of Gurdaspur-Mukerian road. Rs 18 crore has already been sanctioned for this project. Its condition is such that passengers often have to take their vehicles for wheel-realignment after traveling on it. Such is its reputation that residents have called for an investigation on more than one occasion. He says that the focus of the investigation should be on how many times PWD repaired the road in the last 20 years and how much money was spent on it.

DC will have to pursue this venture with full force keeping in mind its strategic importance. Tibri Cantonment is situated on this road. Sugarcane farmers use this route to transport their produce to sugar mills. It is noteworthy that it connects Gurdaspur to Hoshiarpur and Chandigarh.
Politically, Sarangal will have to keep pace with AAP leader and Gurdaspur constituency in-charge Raman Bahal. Any misunderstanding between the two would have the potential to jeopardize development projects. Conversely, if the two work together, they can together reject the idea that nothing is ever built on time or within budget.

Five of the total seven assembly seats in this district are represented by Congress MLAs. If the new officer has to keep the opposition MLAs happy, he will have to play the role of trapeze artist very well. Many of these MLAs have a habit of using such language which will not please the officer’s ears at all.
The villagers, for whom change is a curse, have to be told that their salvation may lie in the very change they fear most. Former DC Himanshu Aggarwal had started the concept of ‘Abad camps’ in border villages. This meant that the entire district administration machinery was shifted to a particular village near the Pakistan border where the villagers carry out their administrative work. Sarangal should continue these camps.