MLA Dhaliwal calls Punjab Improvement Trust Act amendment as disastrous

Congress MLA from Phagwara, Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, on Monday criticised the recent amendment to the Punjab Improvement Trust Act, describing it as “disastrous” for the state. He warned that the move would undermine local development projects, reduce financial transparency and open new avenues for corruption.

Dhaliwal alleged that the amendment empowers the government to sell properties belonging to various cities and divert the proceeds at its discretion, even though these assets were originally earmarked for future development needs. “Improvement Trusts were set up precisely for this purpose. If they are left without their own funds, how will they carry out urban improvements?” he asked.

Citing Mohali as an example, the legislator said that hundreds of crores raised by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) through property auctions had been taken away by the state government without clarity on how or where the money was being spent. He argued that the funds should have been utilised for Mohali’s pressing needs such as solid waste management, road repairs and expansion of water supply and sewerage systems.

Accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of financial mismanagement, Dhaliwal said Punjab was struggling even to meet its routine monthly expenditure. “Due to flawed policies and rampant corruption, the government keeps floating arbitrary schemes—whether it is land pooling, selling off panchayat lands, or dipping into panchayat funds—to plug its financial gaps,” he said.

The Congress leader further alleged that AAP’s intention behind centralising funds from urban development authorities, municipal councils and Improvement Trusts was to misuse the money for the party’s election campaigns outside Punjab. “Selling off one city’s properties and neglecting its urgent needs to spend money elsewhere is a betrayal of the people. Having lost avenues in Delhi, the party is now desperate to exploit Punjab for its political gains,” Dhaliwal claimed.

He warned that after the failure of previous attempts to seize panchayat lands and reserve funds, the government’s focus had now shifted to the assets of development authorities, municipal councils and Improvement Trusts, along with crores of rupees lying in the accounts of towns such as Khanna and Gobindgarh.