Title - ROB inaugurated amid political drama

BARNALA: Not waiting for final clearance from the Railways, Rajya Sabha member and Shiromani Akali Dal secretary general Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa on Sunday inaugurated an overbridge at Barnala. Earlier, some unknown persons demolished part of the wall erected by the Railways in its portion of the land on the ROB to stop flow of traffic till final clearance was obtained.Dhindsa said "People had prepared a passage through the ROB and respecting their aspirations I inaugurated it". Earlier, the railway authorities putting a spanner in the ROB inauguration on Friday evening had erected a wall on the ROB, citing security concerns.The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal leaders accused the Congress MP Vijayinder Singla of using its influence in making the railway authorities stop the inauguration by a SAD leader. Both Dhindsa and Vijayinder are involved in a raging feud over the upcoming cancer specialty hospital near Sangrur as well.Till Sunday morning uncertainty was prevailing in the town with the biggest question doing the rounds whether Dhindsa, who is also a former Union minister, will inaugurate the ROB or not, and in between it came out that somebody had demolished part of the ROB wall to make way for his motorcades and finally Dhindsa inaugurated the bridge.

Ambala divisional railway manager P K Sanghi said he was not aware of the inauguration before final clearance from the Railways. No official from the construction wing of Railways was available for comments.

MP Vijayinder Singla on his part denied an hand in construction of a wall to stop traffic and said, "I am pro-development. It is for the Railways to see about the issue."