Cashstarved Capt govt splurges crores on renovating VIP houses

AG tops the list with ₹1crore renovation bill for camp office and residence, followed by CM at ₹50 lakh

Preach austerity, practice luxury. While blaming the previous regime for leaving behind empty coffers, the Captain Amarinder Singh government has been splurging on VIP bungalows.

The estimated cost for renovating the official residence of the CM, advocate general and ministers, including finance minister Manpreet Badal, who has been preaching “every penny saved, is penny earned”, runs into crores. The total cost of repairs and renovation is ₹3 crore for the CM, AG, ministers and two advisers to the CM.

Punjab advocate general Atul Nanda tops the list with over ₹1 crore renovation bill for making a camp office at his official residence (Kothi number 50) in the plush Sector 2 of Chandigarh and repair and renovation of the house. The information has been obtained by Punjab leader of opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

While the government has not been able to pay pensions, the estimated cost for sprucing up the official residence of the CM, who has four bungalows in the same complex, is ₹50 lakh. Of this, tenders worth ₹22.2 lakh have already been allotted but bills for only ₹4.7 lakh have been submitted to the state treasury.

Punjab’s richest MLA and minister Rana Gurjit Singh too needed a camp office at his official residence and it cost the state exchequer ₹35 lakh.

Manpreet may have tightened the purse strings for many departments, but the finance minister’s official residence will get a new guestroom, store, security room and bathroom at his official residence at the cost of ₹25 lakh. And tenders worth ₹14.7 lakh have already been allotted.

Local bodies and tourism minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has been allotted the official residence of former assembly speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, has sought special repairs worth ₹22 lakh. His office at the civil secretariat too has been given a makeover at ₹15.7 lakh.

The renovation of incumbent assembly speaker Rana KP Singh’s official bungalow too will cost the state exchequer ₹22 lakh.

Health minister Brahm Mohindra needed an additional bedroom, vitrified floor tiles, fixing teakwood on existing woodwork, wooden flooring and interlocking paver. The cost of ₹26 lakh may not help state’s poor fiscal health. Rural development minister Tript Rajinder’s Bajwa’s renovation bill is ₹5.6 lakh.

CM’s advisers, who are drawing more salary than him and his ministers, too needed repairs. The tab for media adviser Raveen Thukral’s official residence is ₹9 lakh and for senior adviser, Tajinder Singh Shergil, ₹8.4 lakh. The information also reveals that ₹4 crore have been spent on renovating 17 MLA flats, including those of former CM Parkash Singh Badal, former deputy CM Sukhbir Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia.

The renovation bill for Sukhbir’s flat is highest at ₹16.8 lakh.

Questioning why AG Nanda needed a camp office when he already has a huge complex at the Punjab and Haryana high court which is barely a few kilometres from his home, Khaira described it as “pure waste of public money for personal whims and fancies”.

“The CM spent ₹50 lakh and

Rana Gurjit ₹35 lakh. The FM, who is supposed to be custodian of public exchequer, has also gone in for major renovation amounting to ₹25 lakh. Other ministers who too are bent upon wasting people’s money,” Khaira said, accusing the government

The govt is unable to honour schemes like oldage pension, shagun, or even pay salaries to employees, but it is wasting money on renovation of houses of ministers. SUKHPAL KHAIRA, leader of oppn

of being “penny wise pound foolish”

“Punjab’s debt is ₹2.5 lakh crore. The government should have spent this money to upgrade schools and hospitals instead of renovating their homes and offices,” he added.