Congress says CM Prakash Badal installed his kin to take over the sand quarrying and other natural resources business. Opposition legislators stage walkout in protest.
CHANDIGARH – The Congress yet again forced an adjournment today after the Speaker refused to form a House committee to probe the role of some influential politicians in mining sand illegally. Naming the Badal family directly, a former Congress minister said Punjab’s natural resources were being plundered and after the cable and transport business, quarrying was being controlled by a few high-ups.
Trouble began when Jagmohan Singh Kang, referring to the rising prices of sand and bajri in the state, said relatives of the Chief Minister were “ acting like sand mafia” and had “captured” the quarrying of sand mines. He demanded that Industries Minister Anil Joshi should make a statement in the House on the steps being taken on the issue.
Joshi said the Punjab and Haryana High Court had stayed the auctioning of 120 mines, each more than five hectares, spread in an area of 10,823 acres. The remaining 241 mines spread in an area of 1382 hectares and each less than five hectares had been auctioned for a period of three years. He said the government was aware of unscrupulous persons plundering government resources and in this regard 181 FIRs had been registered in the past two months, 74 in Ropar district.
Kang took objection to this, claiming that those who had been allotted contracts had been wrongly booked and those close to the Badals asked to mine the areas without any legal sanctity. He demanded that the matter be probed by a House committee. The Industries Minister reacted sharply to this. “I know that you have mining interests. If any illegal mining activity of yours has been stopped, let me know. We will try to help you”.
Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia came to Joshi’s support, saying: “Do not level allegations against the Badal family. If you have any proof, bring it before the assembly ”. At this point CLP Leader Sunil Jakhar got up and demanded that the CM must respond to the allegations. Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal turned down his plea, saying that the matter was sub-judice.
