Phagwara, Mar 9 (Bureau) Just one day ahead of counting day, tension prevailed on Wednesday and resentment among several residents when a team of property tax branch of Municipal Corporation headed by Superintendent Ajit Singh sealed 23 shops on Banga Road near Crematorium in early hours ie around 0300hrs on the charges of violating MC rules and not paying property tax for the last 13 years.
After getting information of sealing the shops several shopkeepers rushed and sat on dharna against MC Commissioner Daljit Kaur PCS who ordered to seal the defaulter shops. However assistant commissioner Sandeep Tiwari rushed to the spot to pacify the protesters who were adamant to talk with MC commissioner only. Though MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal along with congress leaders Sanjeev Bugga, Vinod Vermani, Gurjit Walia, rushed to the spot to support the shopkeepers but did not join the dharna. Mr Dhaliwal, however, talked with Deputy commissioner Deepti Uppal who asked MC Commissioner to take stock of the situation, but surprisingly she herself did not go to dharna site and asked SDM Kulpreet Singh to reach on dharna, but SDM also avoided and asked Tehsildar Phagwara to go and pacify the shopkeepers but Tehsildar in place of rushing to the dharna site sent Naib Tehsildar Nirjit Singh who could not satisfy the protesters.
Heavy police force was seen deployed around the dharna site, but none of the senior police officer was visible there. Later Asstt Commissioner Sandeep Tiwari succeeded to pacify the protesters by offering negotiations on next Monday. The dharna was lifted after reopening the seals this afternoon.