After change of guard, protesters shift focus to Channi’s residence

ACCORDING TO POLICE RECORDS, AMARINDER’S HOMETOWN PATIALA HAS RECORDED OVER 1,200 PROTESTS IN PAST 5 MONTHS

PATIALA : With the change of guard in the Punjab government, Patiala residents are certainly heaving a sigh of relief as protesters, under the banner of all kinds of unions, have taken a sharp turn and moving towards the residence of new chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s residence from former CM Capt Amarinder’s Patiala-based Moti Bagh Palace. According to police records, Patiala has recorded more than 1,200 protests over the past five months.

With this kind of protest rate, roads leading to Amarinder’s residence remained heavily fortified. Local living in peripheral colonies of Amarinder’s residence had to take longer or a more time-consuming route, just to reach their homes.

Sukhwinder Singh, state president of BED-TET passed Unemployed Teachers Union, said, “We have been protesting for regularisation. Now, we will shift our protest to Channi’s home constituency Chamkaur Sahib. We have planned a state level protest outside Channi’s residence at Kharar on September 24.”

Other unions of unemployed teachers, health workers and Powercom protesters have also postponed their state level rallies to be held at Patiala. PK Sharma, of Ad hoc and Contractual

Employees Union, said, “We have ended our protest in Patiala and will now protest in Channi’s constituency. Our main concern is that the government should listen to our demands, no matter who is the CM. On Sunday, we held a state-level protest march towards Navjot Singh Sidhu’s Patiala residence.”

Residents of Patiala, however, have heaved sigh of relief as the city recorded no protest outside former CM residence on Monday. Traffic jams, road blockades and traffic diversions did not happen today, something that hit normal life to an extent, with police barricading on a daily basis.

Hardev Singh, a local, said, “Police should lift the barricades and clear roads for free movement of vehicles. The past few months had been harrowing, as we had to take longer routes to reach our destination due to multiple protests.”