Chandigarh, March 6
At its first meeting, the Punjab cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, today decided to abolish the Punjab State Vigilance Commission.
A spokesman of the state government said the cabinet had decided to repeal the Punjab State Vigilance Commission
Act, 2006, by bringing a Punjab State Vigilance Commission Repeal Bill, 2007 in the first session of the Vidhan Sabha beginning on March 15.
At the meeting, the cabinet was of the view that the commission would not achieve any desired objective because there was already a full fledged Vigilance Department with the chief secretary as its administrative secretary.
Cabinet minister Kanwaljit Singh said it was a part of the manifesto of the SAD to abolish the commission. “ We have promised to reduce the non-plan expenditure by winding up institutions such as the commission which was a mere duplication of the Vigilance Department”, he said.
When asked that the commission was set up on the recommendation of the National Vigilance Commission, Kanwaljit Singh said the recommendation of the national commission was not binding on the state government.
“ The Punjab Government is within its rights to abolish the commission”, he added. Badal was opposed to the appointment of Justice Amar Dutt as a chairman of the commission. Badal had announced that he would immediately wind up the commission if his party was voted to power.
The cabinet also approved the convening of the Vidhan Sabha session from March 15. On the first day, newly elected MLAs will take oath and later other business of the House will follow. SAD MLA Nirmal Singh Kalhon as a pro-tem speaker will administer oath to the MLAs.
Kanwaljit Singh said the duration of the session would be as long as desired by the opposition. “ We have been seeking adequate duration of the assembly sessions during the Congress rule. The Congress did not concede to our demand.
However, now we would offer the opposition that the duration of the session would be as long as desired by it.
There will also be Governor’s address and discussion on it, he added. the cabinet has decided to set up a cabinet sub -committee on police reforms under the chairmanship of Badal, who has been authorised to nominate other members of the committee.
The committee will recommend the frame work of the police reforms in the light of the judgement of the Supreme Court delivered on October 22 last
year.
