Centre delaying release of GST share: Minister

Our Correspondent

Abohar, December 9

Blaming the NDA government for slow pace of developmental works, Minister for Rural Development and Animal Husbandry Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa alleged that the Centre was deliberately withholding GST share to harass Congress-led governments in states.

This not only created problem in carrying the scheduled developmental work, but also affected regular payment of salaries to government employees. Terming the Modi government as anti-people, he said a common man could not even able to buy onions and tomatoes.

About the opening of a government college in Abohar, he said the land had been earmarked for it. “If the GST share is not delayed, the college may start functioning next year. We are also trying to fill 1,700 vacancies in state-run colleges in different districts,” he said.

He said the state was all set to implement the report submitted to the 16th Lok Sabha by the Standing Committee on Water Resources regarding encroachment, repair, renovation and restoration of water bodies.

Earlier, the SAD-BJP government had “ignored” the adverse observations made in the report about Punjab.

The minister said the deputy commissioners across the state had told patwaris in each halqa to identify encroachments on ponds to facilitate legal and administrative action.

Some farmers from border areas today discussed their problems with Bajwa at the residence of former MLA Mohinder Rinwa here. Rinwa’s son Siddhartha, a member of the zila parishad, was also present. They said only Rs 4 crore was released by the government for rural development work in Fazilka district. Availability of canal water for irrigation in the tail-end villages was not satisfactory as sub-canals were not properly maintained, they claimed.