CHANDIGARH: Two women officials have been assigned the top police and administrative posts in Malerkotla, inaugurated on Monday by Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh as the state’s 23rd district.
IAS officer Amrit Kaur Gill is the first deputy commissioner and IPS officer Kanwardeep Kaur the first senior superintendent of police of the new district, created by carving Malerkotla – the state’s only Muslim-majority town – from Sangrur district.
Amarinder Singh had made the announcement on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr on May 14.
The chief minister also digitally laid the foundation stone of development projects worth Rs 548 crore in the new district.
Malerkotla district will consist of three sub-divisions –Malerkotla, Ahmedgarh and Amargarh.
He said with the inauguration of Malerkotla, the long-standing demand of the people of the region has been met, which epitomises its glorious heritage, according to a government statement.
The CM said he made a promise to upgrade Malerkotla as a district during his previous tenure in 2005, but somehow it could not be materialised.
Later, the SAD-BJP alliance government, which ruled for a decade, “blatantly ignored” this demand of local residents, he alleged.
On coming to power in 2017, Amarinder said his government initiated ground work in this regard and subsequently a formal announcement was made by him.
“The temporary offices have been set up at the district level and the offices of 12 departments at district level would be made operational soon.
The district administrative complex and sub-divisional complex would be constructed at a fast pace for which Rs 20 crore has been allotted,” the chief minister said.
He said the formation of Malerkotla as the new district would lead to holistic development of the region besides bringing administration at the people’s doorsteps.
Tracing the city’s history, the CM said it was established in the year 1454 by Sheikh Sadruddin-i-Jahan from Afghanistan, and subsequently the State of Malerkotla was established in 1657 by Bayazid Khan.
Malerkotla was later merged with other nearby princely states to create the Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU).
During the reorganisation of states in 1956, the territory of the erstwhile State of Malerkotla became part of the state of Punjab.
Later, the CM digitally laid the foundation stone of Nawab Sher Mohammed Khan Government Medical College at Malerkotla at a cost of Rs 500 crore as the first installment of Rs 50 crore had already been sanctioned.
He also laid the foundation stone of Government College for Girls, Malerkotla (worth Rs 12 crore), bus stand (worth Rs 10 crore) and a women police station.