SAD-BJP moves motion for debate on Covid ‘mishandling’

CHANDIGARH: The legislative wings of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP moved a motion calling for an urgent discussion on spike in Covid-19 cases and deaths, in the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha session, citing “mishandling” of the situation by the Congress government.

Disclosing this here, SAD legislative wing leader Sharanjit Singh Dhillon said the motion was moved because the Mission Fateh initiative of the Congress government to tackle Covid was an abysmal failure.

He said since chief minister Amarinder Singh seemed helpless and projections are of 1 lakh cases by next month, there was an urgent need for an effective strategy to tackle the pandemic since people could not be left to die.

In the motion submitted to the Vidhan Sabha secretariat under rule 77 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the assembly, the SAD-BJP legislators submitted that besides framing a new strategy to combat the pandemic, the government must explain why Mission Fateh failed so spectacularly. Instead of ensuring any improvement, the state government has presided over the worsening in the Covid situation in the state, the submitted.

It said Punjab currently has one of the highest fatality rate of 2.5 per cent against the national average of 1.6 per cent. It said the state was slipping on testing instead of revving up and has even failed to start plasma treatment successfully.

DIRECT GOVT NOT TO ACCEPT ANYTHING ON SYL: SAD TO HOUSE

The SAD submitted a resolution in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha seeking direction from the House to the state government to take all necessary measures to ensure riparian principle is followed with regard to river waters.

The resolution that was submitted to the Vidhan Sabha secretariat on Tuesday evening as a motion under rule 77 of the Rules of Procedure emphasises all river disputes in the country as well as at the international level were decided solely on the basis of the riparian principle.

The resolution seeks the House to direct the government not to accept the formation of any river water tribunal. “How can SYL or any canal even be considered without determining if any water should flow through it or not. Never in the history has the construction of a canal been considered without first determining the quantum to flow through it,” says the SAD resolution.