Punjab Congress on Monday approached the State Director General of Police (DGP) to submit complaints against the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia and their associates besides demanding their immediate arrest.
The leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Charanjit Singh Channi accused Sukhbir, Majithia and their comrades of patronising drug and sand mafias in the State.
Submitting two complaints to DGP Suresh Arora in this regard, Channi alleged that the name of Majithia had surfaced in the drug scam long time back.
Also Congress legislative Party (ClP) leader, Channi demanded registration of FIR against them “for theft of sand and other minor minerals from public land and other illegal places”. He demanded registration of case for causing loss to the State exchequer by not auctioning the mining sights and carrying out illegal mining.
“The other FIR should be registered under the Narcotics Act. All the culprits should be arrested immediately,” he added.
Channi said that the State has been converted into a drug haven with the mafias having a free run under their patronage. Sukhbir is also the State Home Minister and thus he is “directly responsible” for the situation, he said.
“Sand, gravel and other minor minerals are being illegally extracted, without any consideration for the environment. The people in power are carrying out this exercise with assistance of police and officials of the mining department,” he said.
“It is not only common knowledge but a fact that members of state’s first family including Sukhbir, Majithia and their henchmen like Rozy Barkandi are running this illegal business of mining as sand is not available legally since there are no legal contracts for mining sand,” he said.
“It is due to their vested interests that auction of mines had not taken place. The total loss to the state exchequer is around `25,000 crore. Corrupt police and other officials were part of this sand mafia,” he said.
The transporters who load sand from these illegal mines have to pay the mafia. This royalty is commonly referred to as ‘gunda parchi’, Channi said, adding that the irony is that the poor farmers are penalized for lifting sand from their own fields while the sand mafias have monopolised this business.