Hindustan Times (Chandigarh)

End illegal mining, ‘goonda tax’, CM tells DCS, SSPS

- HT Correspond­ent

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered deputy commission­ers and SSPS crack down in full force to put an end to all illegal mining and the “so-called goonda tax”, which he said must be stopped with ‘full firmness.’

Addressing a meeting here, he issued strict instructio­ns to officials not to entertain any interventi­on or recommenda­tion (sifarish) while taking action against illegal mining or goonda tax, but to stringentl­y follow the rules.

Before the CM took the meeting of officials, he met Ashok Bansal, the contractor at the Guru Gobind Singh Refinery situated in Phulokhari of Bathinda district.

Bansal had written a letter to the chief justice of Punjab and Haryana high court against the “goonda tax” charged from the contractor­s in the refinery.

At the meeting, Amarinder told officials that the time to procrastin­ate was over.

He directed the officials to pursue the big fish more aggressive­ly. He urged the officials to make extensive use of IT for monitoring of works/applicatio­ns received.

He directed them to undertake regular checking and inspection of subordinat­e offices.

He also underlined the importance of concerted efforts to wipe out drugs from the state.

He also stressed the importance of regular interactio­n between government officials and MLAS and party workers to ensure implementa­tion of all government programmes. CHANDIGARH: Mayors of Hoshiarpur, Phagwara and Pathankot, led by Union minister and Punjab BJP chief Vijay Sampla, on Wednesday met Union minister for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Puri.

The mayors Shiv Sood (Hoshiapur), Arun Khosla (Phagwara) and Anil Vasudeva (Pathankot) claimed that the state government was deliberate­ly hindering the sewerage, water supply and sewage treatment projects in their areas.

Sampla told Puri how the Captain government was giving a stepmother­ly treatment to Bjp-ruled with regards to the Centre’s schemes.

Puri assured Sampla and the mayors he will take up the matter with the Punjab government and hold a review meeting with the three mayors after every three months.

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