MP’s claims on grants of Rs 1,838 cr raise eyebrows

Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, January 18

As local MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh on Friday thanked the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, for releasing grants to the tune of Rs1,838 crore for development of the city, SAD MLAs termed it a hoax.

The MP listed out details of the grants in a press release on Friday. He said, “Since April 2017, when the Congress formed the government in the state, grants have been issued to nine constituencies of Jalandhar. An amount of Rs379.185 crore has been issued for Jalandhar Cantonment, Rs323.14 crore for Jalandhar West; Rs328.6 crore for Jalandhar North; Rs324.25 crore for Jalandhar Central; Rs144.6 crore for Shahkot; Rs117.60 crore for Nakodar; Rs75.55 crore for Phillaur; Rs69.61 crore for Kartarpur and Rs76.31 crore for Adampur.”

Reacting to the same, SAD spokesperson and Adampur MLA Pawan Tinu said: “This is either a mockery or an issue of an inquiry. The ITI in my constituency is closed. As many as 26 roads, which were re-carpeted during the SAD-BJP regime and concrete were to be laid on them, are awaiting grants in Adampur and Bhogpur constituencies.”

“Not even a single penny has been spent anywhere in my constituency in the past two years and the MP is talking of Rs76.31 crore. If he is saying so seriously, we really need to know where all this money that came in two years went,” he added.

The MLA said: “It can even be a subject of a CBI inquiry as the amount claimed by the MP for Jalandhar is huge. I live in the city and I can't find anything worth coming here in two years.”

Nakodar MLA Gurpartap Wadala said: "I think due to insecurity ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Chaudhary Santokh Singh has chosen to put up a figure and is listing out anything that is at the planning stage. No development funds came to my constituency.”

He said there were no water supply scheme and no funds for the health scheme. “There is a possibility that he was adding up everything, including the VAT/GST share coming to committees, farm loan waiver, Adarsh Schools and funds to repair roads through the Mandi Board.”