S.A.S. Nagar: Senior Congress leader and former Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu has strongly condemned the amendment passed in the Punjab Improvement Trust Act by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, calling it fatal for Punjab’s future. He said the move will not only stall local development works but also reduce transparency in fund utilization and open the door to large-scale corruption.
Mr. Sidhu said that with this amendment, the government will now freely spend money by selling properties in different cities—assets that were originally reserved for the future needs and development of those cities. He questioned how cities can be developed if Improvement Trusts are deprived of their own funds.
Citing Mohali as an example, Mr. Sidhu revealed that the Punjab government has taken away hundreds of crores of rupees collected by GMADA from property auctions. “Nobody knows where this money has gone,” he said, that these funds should have been used for Mohali’s development. “Mohali still lacks a proper garbage disposal system, its roads need urgent repair, and funds are required for upgrading water supply and sewerage facilities,” he added.
He further alleged that due to the Aam Aadmi Party government’s false policies and rampant corruption, Punjab is facing a financial crisis where the government struggles to even meet its fixed monthly expenses. “That is why the government keeps inventing absurd schemes—sometimes grabbing people’s lands through land pooling, sometimes selling panchayat lands, and sometimes draining the reserve funds of panchayats. Now, it wants to raise money by selling off urban properties belonging to GMADA, municipal councils, and improvement trusts,” he charged.
Mr. Sidhu warned that selling the property of a city and diverting funds elsewhere is nothing short of a betrayal of the local people. “The Aam Aadmi Party’s real aim is to collect money in Punjab and spend it lavishly on upcoming elections in other states. After their loot in Delhi was stopped, Punjab has become the party’s only source of funds,” he alleged.
He concluded by cautioning that after targeting panchayat lands and reserve funds, the government’s eyes are now on the properties and cash reserves of local councils like Kharar and Gobindgarh, which could result in the misappropriation of crores meant for public welfare.