Punjab Council of Ministers is scheduled to meet on Wednesday to take several key decisions, including convening the budget session of the current Vidhan Sabha.
Other than deciding on the date for holding the budget session, the Cabinet is also expected to give its approval for the much-awaited transport policy aimed at eliminating mafia raj from the sector.
Besides, several bills pertaining to the Departments of local Government, Tourism, among others are also expected to be placed before the 10-member Cabinet.
Available information suggests that the budget session, first of the current regime, is expected to start from June 15.
The State Government is preparing well for the session considering its first budget after forming the Government. Besides, the opposition is also gathering ammunition to target the ruling party on controversial issues ranging from sand mining scandal, deteriorating law and order, among other things.
Already, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has announced that the Government would present a white paper on the State’s fiscal situation it has inherited from the previous SAD-BJP regime.
For the same, Finance Minister Manpreet Badal has sought details from all the departments.
Cabinet may also pave way for series of reforms to take the State’s beleaguered transport system out from loss and freeing it from the monopolistic shackles created by the previous SAD-BJP Government by approving the transport policy.
Capt Amarinder has already mooted an open-door policy for bus permits, except on the national highway routes, besides rationalising inter-State routes to make them more competitive.
In another step to eliminate the transport mafia, he had suggested permits to have registration numbers of buses mentioned thereon for plying. He also suggested to install GPS systems in all buses to ensure their effective tracking in order to prevent misuse of permits, which incidentally was rampant during the previous regime.
Capt Amarinder has already directed the concerned officials to explore the modalities for interstate route rationalisation. The department has decided to go for e-tendering on lucrative routes to make the business more viable and profitable, while providing a level-playing field to all players.
The draft policy, being aligned to the directives and observations of the Supreme Court and the Punjab and Haryana High Court, will be put before the state Cabinet for approval. The Government claims that the policy is being drafted after taking views of private bus operators, mini bus operators, Officers from the STUs, Officers from the Road Transport Authority and Unions of the STU Staff.