SAD accuses govt of not providing funds to Bathinda MC

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 16

Accusing the state government of not proving funds to the Bathinda civic body to carry out development works in the city, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) workers staged a protest against the Congress at Fire Brigade Chowk here on Saturday.

The protest was led by SAD leader and former MLA Sarup Chand Singla. Mayor Balwant Rai Nath, SAD councillors and workers also took part in the protest.

Staging a symbolic protest, they carried bowls and begged for the funds.

They also raised slogans against the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, and Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who is also local MLA.

SAD leaders also threaten to intensify their protest if a grant was not issued to the MC in the coming days.

While addressing the protesters, Sarup Chand Singla said the state government was releasing grants to all civic bodies in the state, but it was not giving anything to the MC of Bathinda because it was being ruled by the SAD-BJP alliance. He said the funds issued by the previous government were also taken back by the Congress government.

Singla said instead of giving it to the MC, the government had transferred a grant of Rs 16 crore to the Bathinda Improvement Trust to carry out development works in the city.

The former MLA said, “Ever since the Congress has formed the government, work on various projects in the city is yet to start.”

The Mayor said the move to transfer Rs 16 crore to the BIT was “democratically wrong”. He said when the elected representatives were there in MC, why the work was given to the BIT. The Mayor added that with the MC’s income, they were not able to give salaries to employees.

He said, “As the civic body did not get any grant from the state government, the work carried out by Triveni Company to improve sewerage and water supply has stopped. Even the multi-storey parking project is lying in limbo due to lack of funds. Congress councillors are not allowing the House to run properly.”

Questioning the protest, Congress leader and PPCC delegate KK Aggarwal said, “It was only SAD leaders’ wrongdoings which led to the diversion of funds to the Bathinda Improvement Trust. He said SAD leaders don’t hold General House meeting for three to four months. When the meeting is held, they don’t allow any proposal to pass for the development of the city.”

He alleged that SAD leaders had told the Mayor not to work so that people would defame the Congress-led state government.