‘No softening of stand on Fastway’s cable operations’
› Except the Mohali MC, no other civic body has the equipment to deal with a highrise fire incident. We are working to improve the infrastructure.
NAVJOT SINGH SIDHU, local bodies minister
CHANDIGARH: Punjab local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday announced that he had not softened his stand against the operations of Fastway cable company which indulged in wrong practices leading to losses to the tune of crores of rupees to the state exchequer by ‘evasion of taxes’.
Sidhu was speaking to the media after flagging off eight fire tenders to be given to local civic bodies in eight different assembly constituencies. Ten days ago, he had flagged off 11 such tenders.
He added that the fire directorate that was in the works to deal with fire-related exigencies and other calamities will get new fire tenders, trained drivers and firemen.
Sidhu added that except the Mohali MC, no other civic body had the facility to deal with a high-rise fire incident.
“The department will provide state-of-the-art fire tenders at a cost of between ₹4 crore and ₹8 crore for corporations. This kind of infrastructure is needed to deal with emergencies,” he said.
‘NEW DISCLOSURES ONF AST WAY ON SATURDAY’
“I will make disclosures relating to Fastway on Saturday,” said Sidhu.
A week back, Sidhu upping the ante against the Punjab government and sought audit of operations of Fastway Cable Company for past ten years, claiming that it had usurped ₹20,000 crore in taxes.
Hehadalsodemandedthatthe state council of ministers issue an Ordinance to give the state local bodies department the power of the excise department. After a cabinet meeting , he had retracted from these comments.
Sidhu flagged off fire tenders in the presence of technical education and industrial training minister Charanjit Singh Channi, MLAs Kuljit Singh Nagra, Harminder Singh Gill, Sunder Sham Arora, Rajinder Singh, Dharampal Agnihotri and former minister Inderjit Singh Zira, to the civic bodies of Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahar, Samana, Tarn Taran, Patti, Sirhind, Zira and Chamkaur Sahib.