LOAN WAIVER DECISION SOON, SAYS PUNJAB CM

• VOWS NOT TO BE COWED BY PRESSURE TACTICS OF SAD, AAP IN HOUSE
Chandigarh, June 16, 2017: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh today said his government would soon announce its decision on farm debt waiver based the recommendations of the T Haq Expert Committee, which is scheduled to submit its report shortly.
Addressing the House on the third day of the Budget session, an emotional Captain Amarinder reiterated his government’s commitment to fulfilling all poll manifesto promises, including loan waiver and kurki abolition for the distressed farmers of the state.
Lashing out at the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Chief Minister termed as extremely sad and unfortunate their repeated attempts to undermine the sanctity of the House and bring disrepute to its sacred traditions.
Instead of raising all issues during the Question House, the opposition was resorting to obstructionist behavior to prevent the conduct of any important business and to hog the limelight, said Captain Amarinder.
Displaying his utter displeasure at the disruption of the House proceedings, Captain Amarinder termed it as unprecedented, saying, in his long political experience, he had never witnessed anything like this. The prestige of the office of the Speaker had never before been lowered like this by throwing paper missiles at him inside the House, he added.
Reaffirming his personal commitment to the people of Punjab, Capt Amarinder warned the opposition that he would not succumb under their pressure tactics. Nothing would stop him from bringing Punjab back on the path of progress, he asserted.
Daring the Akalis to come and debate in the house, Capt Amarinder said the opposition knew the government was bringing the Kurki abolition bill in the house and were creating a ruckus in order to claim credit for it.
Blaming SAD squarely for the current state of the farmers in the state by their misrule over the past 10 years, the Chief Minister pointed out that 7000 farmers had committed suicide in Punjab during their regime. The Akalis were sleeping all these years and have now suddenly become custodians of the farmers’ interest and welfare, he added.
Earlier, speaking on a call attention motion, the Chief Minister made it clear that no bus would be allowed to ply illegally on the state’s roads. A crackdown against such buses had already been launched and the new transport policy which is on the anvil will clean up the state of illegally plying vehicles once and for all, he added.
In response to a question during the Zero Hour, Captain Amarinder announced that Ahmedgarh would soon have a separate sub divisional building. Replying to the question raised by MLA Surjit Singh Dhiman, the Chief Minister said the revenue department was in the process of finalising land for the proposed office building. It will be a befitting sub divisional office building, Captain Amarinder said, adding that the people of the area would soon have an administrative office with all the necessary modern facilities.