Pauri people put up posters for 'missing' MLA

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Press Trust of India Kotdwar (U'khand)
Last Updated : Sep 27 2013 | 5:21 PM IST
In a novel way to protest prolonged absence of Pauri MLA from his constituency, people of the area have put up posters in the town saying he has been missing for months and announcing a reward for anyone giving a clue on his whereabouts.
The posters put up in every nook and corner of Pauri is the talk of the town these days for the sheer novelty with which they sum up the electorate's resentment over the legislator's inaccessibility and prolonged absence from his constituency.
The posters say that Pauri MLA Sundarlal Mandarawal is missing from his constituency for the last six months and claim that anybody giving a clue of his whereabouts will be rewarded with Rs 5000 in cash.
Social networking site Facebook is also being used to search for the MLA and is attracting interesting comments.
The absence of the MLA has become a hot issue of the town.
Mukesh Negi, Pramukh Ksetra Panchayat (Pauri) complains, "We are annoyed with the MLA because he has become unapproachable and spends most of his time in Dehradun. There are many issues which have to be sorted out at the MLAs level. His unavailability has become a problem for us."
People accused the MLA of being absent from his constituency during the recent disaster that shook the whole country.
They complain that he was absent from the summer festival and disappeared during the agitation of the local people to oppose the dismantling of the Jail Garden.
Locals feel that absence of the MLA is causing obstructions in development work.
According to Arvind, a social worker, the MLA did not even attend important meetings of the district plan panel held in May and again in September this year.
MLA was also absent from the meeting of District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee, he said.
But the MLA himself takes a different view of his prolonged absence from his constituency.
"I am in Dehradun for discussing development projects with officials. The people who are doing this drama belong to BJP and want to malign me and are obstructing development work," he said.
He claimed that he has spent Rs 2.5 crore from his MLA fund in the constituency.
"Tell me how can one be in their constituency every day?" he asked.
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First Published: Sep 27 2013 | 5:21 PM IST

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