AAP legislator takes up NHAI land compensation issue in Punjab Assembly

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Chandigarh, March 12

Farmers have not been compensated for more than six months by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) after their land was acquired for the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway.

Speaker gets plaint against CM

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Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan informed the House the he had received a complaint from Congress MLA from Adampur Sukhwinder Singh Kotli against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over using ‘disrespectful words’ against him during the session. He said necessary action would be taken as per rules.

Election Commission (Amendment) Bill passed

The House passed the Punjab State Election Commission Bill, 2024. This includes an amendment to Section 129 of the Representation of the People Act, 1991.

Unite for the cause

More than 90 per cent of the earmarked land for the project, costing approximately Rs 20,000 crore, has been handed over to the NHAI. MLAs should unite and ask the Centre to release the compensation to farmers at the earliest. Harbhajan Singh ETO, pwd minister

First paperless Budget

Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan informed the Assembly that the House cleared its first paperless Budget this time. The MLAs also used the laptops provided by the House for asking questions to departments directly. This resulted in saving time in getting their replies as well. The Governor’s Address was also delivered paperless. The MLAs had been asked to mark their attendance online.

Speaking with reference to the Ludhiana-Rupnagar Greenfield Highways, AAP MLA Manwinder Singh Gyaspura moved the call attention motion on the concluding day of the Budget session of the Vidhan Sabha here today. PWD Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO said, “More than 90 per cent of the earmarked land for the project, costing approximately Rs 20,000 crore, has been handed over to the NHAI”. He asked the MLAs to unite and ask the Centre to release the compensation to farmers at the earliest.

MLA Rana Inder Pratap Singh raised the issue of unavailability of seed for the maize crop, particularly the spring maize. He levelled allegations against certain traders, selling seeds in the black market. The seed priced at Rs 1,900 was available for Rs 2,700.

Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian said the spring maize was not being promoted by the state because it was a water-guzzling crop. Seeds for the maize sown during monsoon (barsati makki) would be ensured in adequate quantity in the market. He also assured the House that strict action would be taken against traders, hoarding the seed and selling these in black.

MLA Kuljit Singh Randhawa drew the government’s attention towards the falling water levels in Dera Bassi and Rajpura . He asked the government to revive the shelved Dasmesh canal project.