Punjab’s “firebrand” local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday minced no words to accuse the Badals of “diverting” thousands of crores of rupees from the Centre’s major schemes like Smart City, AMRUT, among others.
Sidhu, asking the Badals to adopt a direct approach to react to his allegations against them instead of using “small-time workers” as their mouthpiece, alleged that the father-son duo had “put the money into their accounts by diverting state funds”.
The cricketer-turned-politician, in fact, challenged the Badals to have a debate with him and respond to his accusations.
He accused the Badals of siphoning off over Rs 2,000 crore of funds under Smart City project and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme.
lashing out at former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal, Sidhu held them responsible for Punjab’s current situation where the state was not in a position to run major projects including Smart City, Swachchh Bharat Misison, BRTS, AMRUT.
“Punjab awaited Rs 168 crores for ludhiana, but the Centre said that no grants will be released for Jalandhar and Amritsar till grants for the earlier project came. Both the cities had got Rs 25 crores in the original share,” he said.
“With the money meant for urban development being misused by the previous SAD-BJP government, the Centre has now refused to give a single penny to Punjab for the Smart City project,” he said.
He said that the erstwhile Government had contributed only Rs 32 crore as the state's share for Smart City project for ludhiana as against Rs 200 crore which the Centre had sent. “The Centre has refused to give money to Punjab for Smart City projects after it noticed misuse of funds,” he added.
Sidhu informed that the Union Urban Development Ministry’s officials had come here and conveyed that not a single penny would be given.
“They (Centre) will not give us money for Smart City project for Amritsar and Jalandhar as funds were misused for ludhiana smart city project,” said Sidhu, adding that Punjab was supposed to receive Rs 9,000 crore under Smart City projects.
Maintaining that the Akalis’ “so-called development” was only in papers, Sidhu asked the Badals to tell the people of the state as in where they had spent the funds meant for various purposes.
“You misused the money. The money meant for Smart City was spent somewhere else…My only question is where is the money, they should tell…The money meant for some purpose directly went to the family,” he said.
Pointing out “misutilisation” of funds under AMRUT) aimed to provide basic civic amenities, Sidhu said that funds to the tune of Rs 114 crore were also allegedly siphoned off under previous regime.
Attacking the senior Badal, Sidhu said: “He called himself as ‘vikas purash’…There is no one bigger than him who destroyed the state.”
Also laying question on Rs 125 crore of funds released under Incentive fund by the Finance Commission, he said: “They had also made a commitment in Vidhan Sabha to contribute four per cent of the state income for development of cities. It worked out at Rs 1,696 crore. And this amount is only on paper.”
Stating that the Punjab government was accountable to the people, Sidhu said: “This government is by the people and for the people whereas the previous government was by the people, for a family. Income of the state was income of a family.”
Not sparing SAD chief Sukhbir Badal from his attack, he find fault with former Deputy Chief Minister’s Rs 400 crore dream project ‘Bus Rapid Transit System’ (BRTS) for Amritsar claiming that not a single bus ran under the project and all of them were now rusting.
“Amarinder Singh Government will make the BRTS project operational despite shortcomings,” he declared adding that the State Government had not scuttled any of their projects, but, “we are not responsible for all this”.
He further alleged that sewerage projects in several cities were no-starter despite a lot of funds spent on the same.
Asked whether state has funds to run projects like Smart city, Sidhu said that the state will have to generate funds to run such projects.
“Punjab Government will manage matching revenue through alternative sources including mining and auction of land significant portion of which was in control of politicians…We can raise money from mining and cable businesses. Municipal Corporation land in Amritsar worth Rs 20,000 is encroached,” he said.
Sidhu said that the fresh tenders for upcoming projects will now be floated after the state budget which will come out in June.