Efforts on to reclaim govt land: Sidhu

GS Paul

Who will take the final call in acting against those responsible for Misappropriation of public money?

Sidhu: Amritsar’s scam is not restricted to Rs 100 crore, it could be worth much more. Once this probe is over, the case will be handed to the CM to initiate action. Earlier, the government had ordered registration of FIRs against seven officials of AIT and AMC. I got the forensic audit conducted for Amritsar. It (such a probe) will be followed for urban local bodies of Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Bathinda. 

What about recovering the public property or money? 

For government land, a meeting was held recently which saw attendance of the Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Revenue and Rehabilitation Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria. We have formed a committee of experts headed by Justice (retd) SS Saron and ex-DGP Chander Shekhar, besides the representatives from various other departments. This panel will advise the cabinet’s subcommittee responsible for government assets and land. 

What prospects do you see ahead, if the government’s land and money are brought back? 

If we could free the government land located in Mohali district alone, its value could clear the total debt of Punjab, which is Rs 2.01 lakh crore, in one go. As per the records officially made available by the district administration Mohali, 15 villages of the district have 2,435-acre of government land under illegal occupation. Whosoever was involved in it would be taken to task. We are people’s representatives and will do our best to initiate steps to recover public money.

How have the accused managed to get relief from the court? 

The irony is that our law is toothless. We nab the culprits, an FIR is lodged and they get bail taking advantage of the weakness in our system. We need to enforce the measures at our own level so that no one can dare to embezzle public money or property.     

— By GS Paul