Punjab govt violates norms to please a constituency before polls

Punjab govt violates norms to please a constituency before polls
VIKRAM JIT SINGH

BEEROWAL, FEBRUARY 15: The noise of trucks pierces the silent nights of Nawashahar. Day and night, trucks carrying stones are coming to villages here from faraway places such as Kiratpur Sahib. Across the only constituency which is going to polls in this byelection in Punjab, roads are being built in a hurry. While 60 roads were finally cleared five days after the Election Commission's code of conduct came into effect, several others roads are being built without sanction. Construction on all these roads began simultaneously just about 10 days ago.

Sixty roads were sanctioned by the Punjab Mandi Board on January 13, but The Indian Express visited at least 10 roads which were being constructed without sanction. The sanction or the tender of these roads find no mention on the list of roads being built by the Board a copy of which is in the possession of this newspaper.

These roads have been sanctioned on-the-spot by Shiromani Akali Dal ministers on the campaign trail, much after the date of announcementof the election. Private contractors handling the 60 sanctioned roads are also executing the works on the unauthorised roads. They have been reportedly told by Punjab Government officials that the funds and proper sanction will be accorded later by the Mandi Board.

Take for instance, the two roads being constructed to the solitary farmhouses of Sucha Singh and Master Gurnam Singh in Beerowal village. Or the repairs on the Banga-Pathlava road and the Pathlava-Kazla roads. While these roads do not have the sanction of the Board, they fall in the Nawashahar constituency. At the same time, the work is not being done on the same roads in neighbouring Paddi village. The reason: it falls in the Banga Assembly constituency.

The other six roads under construction without sanction, visited by this correspondent, are the Ghaggewal railway station road, Jadala-Atalan-Mirpur road, Bagga-Jhike road, Mallangallan-Bhaura road, Barnalakalan road and the Pallian Khurd road.

At election rallies, villagers approaching SADministers for roads are granted the sanction and private contractors put on the job to make the road virtually overnight. At a rally at the R.K. Arya College in Nawashahar on February 8, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was approached by two villagers, Santokh Singh and Balbir Singh, of Ghaghewal village with a copy of the panchayat resolution of January 3 demanding a road from the railway station to Gurunanakpur Basti.

This is the response they say they got: ``Six days back at the rally, the CM told Executive Engineer J.S. Gill, who was present at the spot, that `Your Mandi Board has a lot of money. Get their road made immediately'. The panchayat resolution was endorsed on the spot by Nawashahar Market Chairman and Akali leader, Joginder Singh. Banga Market Committee Chairman Jaswinder Singh Anokkhrowal also told Gill to make the road,'' Balbir Singh and Santokh Singh told The Indian Express.

This newspaper is in possession of the document bearing Joginder Singh's signature with his seal and thecomment, ``Necessary.''

When contacted, the Government spokesmen denied any construction without proper sanction. Power Minister S.S. Maluka and Science & Technology, Legal & Legislative Affairs and Justice Minister C.L. Garg said that the road construction in Nawahshahar was a ``routine'' affair. ``No road has been initiated without the tendering process. The road constructions in Nawashahar are those initiated by the chief minister six months ago,'' said Maluka. When The Indian Express contacted Executive Engineer Gill in his Nawashahar office, he refused to comment.