The other day when SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal visited Dera Baba Nanak to campaign for his party’s candidate Ravi Karan Kahlon, he was surprised. Surprised because he did not expect so many motorcyclists would be a part of the bike-rally. His estimates had fallen woefully short. It seemed as if the entire population had come with their bikes-some rickety, others fast and furious. The rally must have given the goose-pimples to Dy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who represents Dera Baba Nanak Assembly seat. Randhawa’s team is confident that their man will retain the seat for the third successive time. However, Ravi has other plans which he does not want to disclose. All that he said was, “I will cross the bridge when I come to it.”

Channi’s visit to hospital

A private hospital is akin to a parked car with its meter running. This was known to CM Charanjit Singh Channi and hence his government has taken a decision to improve the lot of government hospitals which are invariably cheaper than their private cousins. Being comparatively inexpensive is the main reason why the poor flock to government entities more than the rich. The other day while on a visit to the city, the CM thought it prudent to check for himself the facilities at the Civil Hospital at Babri, 6 km away from the city. On his way, the CM must have wondered why the hospital was located far away from the city.

It was during ex-MLA Gurbachan Singh Babbehali’s second term as MLA from 2012 till 2017 that the entity, for some inexplicable reason, was taken out of the city’s precincts and relocated to its outskirts. If the CM launches a probe even now, six years after it was sent packing to Babri, many heads are bound to roll. Nevertheless, once at the hospital, the CM was given a guided tour by Civil Surgeon Dr Vijay Kumar. He visited the emergency and gyneacology, pediatric and surgery wards before proceeding towards the store where medicines are kept. He checked the expiry dates, at random, of some of the medicines lying in the store. He also interacted with the staff. On their part the doctors and the para-medical staff were not a happy lot. Because, for a change, the CM did not make any grand announcement!