Firm accuses Bolaria of organising cattle fair illegally

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 27 

A day after a spat between former SAD MLA Inderbir Singh Bolaria and police personnel at the goat market, situated a few meters away from his residence near Gate Khazana, traders of the Rajpura Cattle fair today alleged that Bolaria was organising the cattle fair at the site in an illegal manner.

Sukhpal Singh, a partner of the firm, said the Punjab government had given the contract for organising the cattle fair all over the state to him through e-tendering around one-and-half year ago. 

He said he and his partners got the contract by paying Rs 51.50 crore to the government, it has designated the firm to organise the cattle fair all over the state.    

However, he alleged that Bolaria being in power was holding the auction at the site in an illegal manner and was taking all the commission against the norm. 

“The government has allotted land at Vallah to organise the cattle fair. Whenever, we filed complaint against him with the authorities concerned, nobody dared to take any action as he was in power,” he added.

He demanded that the government should register a case against him for taking the commission in an illegal manner while the firm was paying the government for the same. 

He said he should also be directed to pay the whole money which he had collected from the cattle fair at the spot for the past one-and-half year.

Meanwhile, members of the Lala Devi Sahai Khanna Family Dharmarth Trust, managing a temple near the site, alleged that Bolaria had forcibly and illegally occupied around 2,000 yard of the temple. 

Ashok Khanna, secretary of the trust, alleged, “He should vacate the property of the temple. Being in power Bolaria fraudulently prepared a fake rent deal in order to occupy the land.”

However, Bolaria refuted the charges of illegal possession of the land. He said the land where the goat market is organised was taken from the Municipal Corporation on lease by his father for 30 years. 

He said, “As far as the temple land is concerned, the family managing the temple and the trust was divided and every time one or other member starts claiming its ownership over the land. The matter is in the court and whatever the court decides, I will abide by it.” 

He alleged that since his differences with the ruling alliance, the government was trying to ruin his business.

Bolaria had quit the Shiromani Akali Dal to join the Congress around a month ago. He termed the yesterday police action as intimidating tactics by the SAD.