Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Saturday said the Congress will make legally sourced sand available for free for genuine household and public construction if voted to power.
The proposed “Punjab Da Ret Haq Scheme” was aimed at bringing down construction costs for ordinary Punjabis, support employment and accelerate development across the state, Warring said in a statement issued here.
“Sand is not a luxury. It is needed to build a house, repair a home, construct a school, build a road, lay a drain and create infrastructure. If Punjab has this natural resource, why should an ordinary Punjabi be forced to pay an excessive price for it?” he said.
Under the proposed scheme, legally extracted sand would be made available without the usual material cost for genuine eligible public and construction requirements, subject to a transparent, technology-driven system to prevent misuse, the Punjab Congress chief said.
He added that the initiative would form part of a larger Congress vision in which Punjab’s natural resources would be used for public welfare, employment generation and economic growth, rather than being treated merely as a source of government revenue.
Taking aim at the Bhagwant Mann government, Warring said, “AAP looked at Punjab’s sand and saw government revenue. Congress looks at Punjab’s sand and sees the homes of our families, the roads of our villages, the schools of our children and the jobs of our workers.”
{{/usCountry}}Taking aim at the Bhagwant Mann government, Warring said, “AAP looked at Punjab’s sand and saw government revenue. Congress looks at Punjab’s sand and sees the homes of our families, the roads of our villages, the schools of our children and the jobs of our workers.”
{{/usCountry}}He clarified that the scheme did not mean a free-for-all in sand mining. “Free sand will never mean free licence to destroy Punjab’s rivers. We will protect the environment while ensuring that Punjab’s resources serve Punjab’s people,” Warring said.