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Punjab government failed to maintain law and order, regulate sand prices: Navjot Singh Sidhu
Former Pradesh Congress Committee chief Navjot Singh Sidhu lambasted the Bhagwant Mann government for “failing” to maintain law and order situation and regulating sand prices in Punjab
Former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday lambasted the Bhagwant Mann government for “failing” to maintain law and order situation and regulating the sand prices in Punjab.
Sidhu, who visited Guru Ram Das Hospital in Amritsar to enquire about the health of a victim who was allegedly shot at in a Tarn Taran village a few days ago, claimed that since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s government has come to the power, crime incidents have been on the rise. “Gagandeep Singh was shot at by some unidentified persons without any reason. Two to three murders are happening without any reason in the state every day,” Sidhu said.
Gagandeep Singh, a resident of Khemkaran, was allegedly shot at by Major Singh and his two sons—Gurwinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh—on Sunday evening when he was playing volleyball on the ground. According to the police, Major Singh had been stopping some young men for playing in the ground which is situated near his house.
Sidhu said the topmost priority of any government is to protect the life and business of the residents, but the state government has “utterly failed” in this. He said Punjab is a sensitive border state and the protection of its people should be ensured.
Later, Sidhu along with his supporters visited the Jahajgarh area in Amritsar where sand is sold. In presence of the media, Sidhu asked about the price of sand from the traders. One of the traders told him that the price of sand was ₹1,600 per unit around a month ago, but it has increased to ₹3,200 now.
Lashing out at the state government, Sidhu said due to not having a policy, sand is being sold at exorbitant prices. He said AAP’s motive was only to get power by making false promises. “Only announcements are being made by the state government. However, no notification regarding any announcement has been issued so far. The price of electricity is also likely to increase from the next month,” he said.
“The cost of sand has doubled in one month. Thekedari (contractual) system is the root cause. The only solution is to abolish the thekedari system, taking control of sand, besides fixing its rate,” Sidhu tweeted, adding that online booking, tracking and regular supply of sand should also be ensured to give relief to the common man.
