Cong’s Baba Bakala MLA accused of pocketing grants

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 29

A local resident has accused Baba Bakala MLA Santokh Singh Bhalaipur of misusing his powers and pocketing government grants issued to village panchayats for laying interlocking tiles.

Paramjit Singh Sitara, a resident of Sathiala, who unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha poll from the Khadoor Sahib constituency, has submitted a complaint to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the MLA.

The Central Vigilance Commission has forwarded the complaint to the official concerned of the Department of Consumer Affairs for scrutinising it and taking appropriate action.

Sitara has alleged that the MLA owned a tile factory in Gaggrewal village in Tarn Taran and started another one at Bhalaipur Dogra village. The Gaggrewal factory manufactured substandard interlocking tiles and illegally engraved the ISI mark on them. The Bureau of Indian standard (BIS) had barred the factory from using this mark, he claimed.

He alleged the MLA was pocketing government funds in connivance with village panchayats and officials of the Panchayat Department.

Meanwhile, Bhalaipur said he owned only one tile factory at Gaggrewal village and he had all documents and licences to run the factory. He did not pressure anyone to procure tiles from his firm. “All allegations were politically motivated to defame me,” he said.