With no less than 30,000 vehicles lying in State’s police stations as case properties, the Punjab Government may review the policy to manage the same in the wake of space crunch.
“The Government is ready to review the policy regarding vehicles parked as case properties in the State police stations,” said Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, adding that the State police chief had initiated the process for their disposal at the earliest.
Capt Amarinder, while responding to a query raised by Congress MlA Gurkirat Singh Kotli on the second day of the Vidhan Sabha’s winter session, informed the House that over 30,000 vehicles, including 21,134 two wheelers, 676 three-wheelers and 10,791 four-wheelers, which are case properties, are lying in various police stations in Punjab.
Citing the space problem caused by the large number of vehicles parked in the police stations across the state, Kotli asked whether the government was framing any policy for the solution of this problem.
Responding, Capt Amarinder said that if needed be, the government would review the policy.
“Directions have already been issued to continue with a special drive to dispose of all the vehicles lying in malkhanas, except those which were required for trial of cases,” he said.
Capt Amarinder said that all the Zonal Inspectors General of Police and Commissioners of Police were instructed to file monthly progress reports regarding this.
Pointing out that there was already a prescribed procedure for handling such cases and all zonal inspectors general of police, commissioners of police, Punjab and assistant inspector general of police, GRP, Punjab, Patiala, have been directed to follow the legal provisions in this regard.
In cases that have been decided by the courts, the owners of the property should be informed and guided to get the seized property released, as mandated by the law, Capt Amarinder said.
SEPARATE CADRE FOR TEACHERS IN BORDER DISTRICTS SOON
Punjab Government would soon set up a separate cadre for border districts to increase the number of teachers in schools of these areas.
Announcing this, the Education Minister Aruna Chaudhary said that the teachers in this cadre would be transferred within the same territory and would get special benefits.
Chaudhary, responding to query raised by Congress MlA Dharambir Agnihotri on the teacher policy for border districts, said that a policy was coming shortly with emphasis on special recruitment for the area.
“A proposal to create separate cadre for the border districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Ferozepur and Fazilka is under process under which the posting, transfer and promotion of teachers would be within the border area schools which would help in resolving the problem of teachers’ shortage in these schools,” she added.
ONlY CONG MlAs PUT Questions TO ITS MINISTERS
As the Opposition parties, AAP and the SAD-BJP, continued to protest inside the House, it was the Congress MlAs that put questions to its Ministers during the question hours.
Amidst noisy scene, the Speaker Rana KP Singh continued with the question hour. About half a dozen Congress legislators asked their questions.
Health Minister Brahm Mohindra, responding to a question raised by Congress MlA Navtej Singh Cheema regarding non-receipt of degrees by the students of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, said that the same would be handed over within three months.
MlA Kuljit Singh Nagra raised the issue of unavailability of doctors in his constituency and the need for more schools. MlA Tarsem Singh wanted to know if the local Government Department would ensure that the women elected on 50 per cent reserved seats, and not their husbands, participated in municipal functioning, to which Minister in-charge Navjot Singh Sidhu assured that the matter would be handled appropriately.