Oppn corners govt over drug, sand mafia

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 26

The third sitting of the Vidhan Sabha during the ongoing Budget session on Wednesday was marked by protests over drug, sand, transport, cable and liquor mafia “operating freely” in the state. The SAD-BJP and AAP raised the issue of political patronage to these mafias and demanded that heads must roll.

The SAD finally emerged from the background that AAP had relegated it to for the past few sittings, as its MLAs demanded the resignation of Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on the issue of the missing five crore buprenorphine tablets from drug de-addiction centres. Saying that the Enforcement Directorate had already initiated a probe into the matter, Akali MLA Bikram Singh Majithia demanded dismissal of the Health Minister.

The issue came up for discussion during the zero hour. Majithia alleged that it was a scam worth Rs200 crore. Sidhu replied that it was he who had ordered an inquiry into the illicit sale of buprenorphine. His party colleagues, too, booed the Akalis, as the latter stormed the well of the House to protest on the issue.

Congress MLAs countered Majithia by raising the ED investigations in the synthetic drug case, where Majithia was summoned and questioned, and the formation of SIT to probe the illicit drug business. They alleged that the report submitted in the Punjab and Haryana High Court had examined Majithia’s role in illicit drug business. As the two sides exchanged barbs, Akali MLAs staged a walkout.

During the question hour, Congress MLA Sangat Singh Gilzian took on his own government, alleging that he was funding it difficult to control illegal mining in his constituency (Urmur Tanda). “Efforts have been made to extract sand from rivulets and even set up a weighbridge. I have stopped them. If it were allowed, the villages adjoining the rivulets would be flooded,” he rued.

Water Resources Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, countered him, saying that mining was allowed only after environmental clearance was given. “Earlier, Sharma (Akali MLA NK Sharma) too said that there was a lot of illegal mining going on in his constituency. But he forgot that it is only because we have stopped illegal mining that the revenue coming from sand mining has reached Rs 306 crore. During their rule (the Akali-BJP), the auction of mines got just Rs 30-40 crore, while they must have pocketed Rs 3,000 crore,” the minister alleged, even as Kanwarjit Singh Rozy of the Akali Dal, alleged that the figures of revenue earned, as claimed, had not been realised.

AAP MLA Aman Arora alleged that in the 10 years of the SAD-BJP and three years of the Congress, the mafia had only been strengthened. “The Chief Minister had formed a five-member committee to look into auctioning of mines to increase revenue. Former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was part of the committee, had favoured the Telangana model. What happened to that report?” he asked.

Sarkaria said the report had been rejected by the government. At this juncture, NK Sharma alleged that illegal mining was rampant. He pointed fingers at two ministers and named Sidhu. The latter retorted by saying that he was open to any inquiry on the issue.

Majithia: Pharma firm given favours

• Majithia said when it came to light that buprenorphine tablets were being diverted illegally, the Health Secretary ordered an inquiry, but Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu over-ruled him and sought report from civil surgeons
• He said that in January, Sidhu tried to close the case by issuing a warning to erring officials when the Secretary was on leave
• Majithia said the minister favoured Rusan Pharma that had been blacklisted after its medicines failed mandatory tests, but instead of taking action against the firm, it was relisted on the govt panel