News Patiala
The committee members of the Estimates Committee of the Punjab Legislative Assembly conducted a detailed inspection of the progress of development and other projects taking place here. The committee members were under the chairmanship of MLA Manjeet Singh Bilaspur.
Committee members, including MLAs Ajitpal Singh Kohli, Indrajit Kaur Mann, Ninderpal Singh Sawnah and Sukhwinder Singh Kotli, reviewed the progress of projects such as the Dairy Project, Heritage Street, Rajindra Lake and the work on vadi and choti nadi, among others.
The estimates committee pulled up the civic body staff for spending a hefty amount on these projects. They stated that all projects that started during the Congress regime are incomplete. Under the dairy project, around 150 dairy farms were to be shifted outside the city limits, but the allotment of plots was not initiated. Similarly, questions were raised about the Rs 90 lakh spent on the 250-metre stretch of cobblestone at Heritage Street and the expenditures of Rs 1.5 lakh on each light installed on the street. The committee also raised objection on the slow pace of rejuvenation of Rajindra Lake and the work on vadi and choti Nadi.
MLA Kohli said, “These four ventures were considered to be the favourite projects of the then Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and these were also initiated during his tenure as CM. Sadly, none of the projects could see the light of day, while a huge amount of public money was spent on purchasing materials at exorbitant amounts. All these matters will be looked into and the supervisors for these projects will be questioned as well.”
The committee has authorised local MLA Ajitpal Singh Kohli to probe the expenditure being carried out on these projects. Following the committee’s deliberations, a meeting was held with officials, including Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney and Municipal Commissioner Aditya Uppal, along with officials from various departments such as local governments, construction, Punjab State Power Corporation and rural development.
The chairman of the committee announced that the committee would present its report to the Punjab Legislative Assembly. Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney expressed confidence in the committee’s ability to implement the directives effectively.
