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Question Hour: Punjab minister Bains promises probe into stalled road works
Local government minister Harjot Singh Bains on Monday promised an inquiry to fix responsibility on officials after Jagraon legislator Saravjit Kaur Manuke complained about the abrupt halt to road construction work and road-cleaning machines lying unused in her area
Local government minister Harjot Singh Bains on Monday promised an inquiry to fix responsibility on officials after Jagraon legislator Saravjit Kaur Manuke complained about the abrupt halt to road construction work and road-cleaning machines lying unused in her area.
Bains gave the assurance while replying to the member’s query during Question Hour on the last day of the monsoon session. Manuke said that contractors had left road construction work midway, causing inconvenience to residents. She also raised the issue of road-sweeping machines lying idle. “It has been two years, but these road cleaning vehicles remain parked and have not been used. They keep citing technical problems,” she said.
The minister said road construction works slow down during the monsoon season, but there was no shortage of funds. He admitted that road sweeping vehicles were earlier being kept as decorative items rather than put to use. “We will prepare a set of protocols with weekly updates on the usage of cleaning machines,” he said, citing the example of Amritsar. Manuke sought an inquiry to fix responsibility for the lapses. When Bains asked her to submit a written complaint, the Speaker advised him to treat her remarks as a complaint. The minister said he would issue orders for a probe.
Poor families not getting 5-marla plots
Zira MLA Naresh Kataria said that poor people were not getting five-marla plots and that two-three families were being forced to live on one plot. “In Mand area, floods have caused damage to houses of these poor people. These families should be given money for repairs,” the member said. In response, rural development and panchayat minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said that instructions have been issued to regional authorities to distribute five-marla plots to poor Scheduled Caste families in rural areas. Sond also said that there was no provision for renovation of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural) scheme. Under this scheme, financial assistance of ₹1.20 lakh is provided to the poor families in rural areas whose houses are unfit or unlivable, for construction of a new house, subject to their eligibility.
785 posts of school librarians vacant
Education minister Harjot Singh Bains said that 785 librarian posts are lying vacant in government schools across the state. Replying to Jalalabad MLA Jagdeep Singh Goldy Kamboj’s question regarding the vacant librarian posts in government schools and the timeline for filling them, the minister said that the process to fill these posts would be initiated in the near future. “The formalities have been completed. The advertisement will be issued shortly,” he said.
51.30 lakh families enrolled under health scheme
Replying to Payal legislator Manwinder Singh Giaspura’s question regarding the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, health minister Balbir Singh said that out of 65 lakh families, 51.30 lakh families have been enrolled, and 1.24 crore e-cards have been issued. The scheme provides free, cashless medical treatment up to ₹10 lakh per family annually. He said these beneficiaries have collectively availed of 5,30,021 treatments under the scheme. At present, a total of 880 hospitals, including 657 private hospitals, are empanelled across the state to provide cashless healthcare services. Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, while highlighting the benefits available under the scheme, said that e-cards had been issued to only a few people.
