Turban-wearing Sikh woman of Indian origin is new councillor of Canadian city Brampton
Toronto (PTI): Navjit Kaur Brar, an Indo-Canadian healthcare worker, on Monday became the first turban-wearing Sikh woman to be elected as a councillor of Brampton city in Canada.
Brar, a respiratory therapist and mother of three, won the race in Wards 2 and 6 in the recent elections to the Brampton City Council, securing 28.85 per cent of the votes cast.
Jermaine Chambers, a former Conservative MP candidate for Brampton West, who secured 28.85 per cent of the votes cast, was the nearest contender with 22.59 per cent votes. Carmen Wilson was third at 15.41 per cent, the Brampton Guardian reported.
As a part of her campaign, Brar knocked over 40,000 doors and spoke to over 22,500 residents in the last two months.
“I am so proud of @Navjitkaurbrar. She was a selfless and dedicated front-line healthcare worker during the pandemic. She has stepped up for public service and I am confident she will be a phenomenal addition to Brampton City Council,” Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, who won a second term in the recent election, tweeted.
Brar, who previously ran as the Ontario NDP candidate in Brampton West, had lost to the current Progressive Conservative MPP Amarjot Sandhu.
Another Sikh candidate, Gurpartap Singh Toor, knocked off his opponent Gurpreet Dhillon in Wards 9 and 10 by a scant 227 votes.
The report said as many as 40 Punjabis were in the fray for Brampton civic elections and only 87,155 of the 354,884 eligible voters turned up to cast ballots an abysmal voter turnout of approximately 24.56 per cent.
The Indo-Canadian community, along with the councillor candidates, had raised concerns over the election date overlapping with Diwali one of the most-awaited festivals celebrated by the large swathe of Indian diaspora in Canada.
“It is very problematic that the elections are taking place on Diwali day, especially the municipal election that has always seen a low voter turnout,” said Gurpratap Singh Toor.
Elections to the municipal government are held every four years on the fourth Monday of October, which was on October 24 this year.
Brar, who has little political experience, said, “I think a lot of people can relate to me. I'm just a respiratory therapist. I've actually worked with a lot of people. I'm a mom of three and a lot of people in Brampton are families.”
Brar focused on three areas - building new infrastructure, reducing crime, and improving road safety. Brar said that she planned to work hard to represent all demographics in her ward.
“I'm excited. I'm so proud of all Bramptonians who have voted, making sure our voices are being heard more than ever before,” she said before the announcement.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
