Other States - Punjab   

Punjab Speaker censures Minister

CHANDIGARH: Speaker of the Punjab Assembly N. S. Kahlon on Wednesday censured Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Ranjit Singh Brahmpura for casting aspersions on the Chair. The Minister was, however, let off after he tendered an apology in House that had assembled in the morning to debate the State Budget presented two days earlier.

The peculiar situation arose during Question Hour over distribution of grants allegedly by some unauthorised persons. An Akali member, Capt. Balbir Singh Baath, had raised the issue which was supplemented by Congress legislator Makhan Singh.

While replying to the queries , Mr. Brahmpura said he had got an inquiry conducted by an official of the department into various complaints in this regards. However, no discrepancies were found, he added.

At this, Mr. Makhan Singh objected that the inquiry conducted by an officer of the level of Deputy Director of the Panchayats Department, who was a subordinate of the Minister, was not acceptable. He cited instances to back his charge of unauthorised grants. At this juncture, the Speaker told the Minister that the claims of the opposition member had substance as some “unauthorised” persons had distributed such grants in his Fatehgarh Churian constituency . The Speaker was heard seeking the Chief Minister’s intervention on the issue.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Demand for Central varsity status
Held with CSD canteen goods
Couple killed in accident
Vagabond’s body found
Defer panchayat polls in Punjab: Assembly
Punjab Speaker censures Minister

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu