With allegations of impropriety against Punjab Irrigation and Power Minister Rana Gurjit Singh in multi-crore sand mining auctions conducted recently by the State Government, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday ordered setting up a one-man judicial commission to look into it.
The inquiry will be conducted by Justice (Retd) JS Narang who has been asked to submit the report within a month.
A Spokesperson said that the terms of reference for the inquiry commission, formed under the Commission of Inquiry Act, will be notified soon.
Welcoming the setting up of the Commission, Rana Gurjit has offered to step down to ensure a free and fair investigation. However, Capt Amarinder has asked the Minister to continue till outcome of the judicial probe.
Chief Minister announced his decision to set up a judicial commission after taking suo motu cognisance of the reports charging the Minister with acquiring certain mines in the names of his company’s former employees.
Announcing the decision, Capt Amarinder made it clear that there was no question of allowing any deviation from his Government’s avowed policy of providing clean governance.
“I would take all steps to ensure that there is no violation of the trust reposed by the people of Punjab in my Government and the Congress party,” he said.
Though Rana Gurjit had categorically denied any links of his company with the auctions stating that his company has no stake in the sand mining business, Capt Amarinder decided, in the interest of ethics and propriety, to get the matter probed at the highest level.
Notably, the two-day sand auctions, in which the bids from Rana Gurjit’s former cook and other employees are alleged to have been secured, related to 50 mines and they have already generated a revenue of nearly Rs 300 crore, leading to the highest ever earnings from the mining sector for the State Government.
The employees of Rana Sugars limited, a firm of Rana Gurjit, had allegedly bagged contracts worth crores in the e-auction of 89 sand and gravel mining sites conducted on May 19 and 20.
Amit Bahadur, a cook allegedly working with the firm, successfully bid for one of the most expensive sand and gravel mines in the State at Saidpur Khurd village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr) for a whopping Rs 26.51 crore outsmarting 32 bigwigs.
WIll COME ClEAN, SAYS CONFIDENT RANA GURJIT
Welcoming the setting up of a judicial commission into the sand mining auction, Punjab Irrigation and Power Minister Rana Gurjeet Singh on Monday said that he has full faith in the judicial process.
At the same time, he expressed confidence that he will come clean in the probe.
The Minister has all along been denying any links of his company, Rana Sugars limited, with the auctions. He has also categorically maintained that his company has no stake, direct or indirect, in the sand mining business.
Regarding the four employees who bought the quarries, Rana Gurjit claimed that they all had now left the job.