During the second day of Punjab Assembly budget session on Thursday, Punjab's local government minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said a separate Fire Directorate would come up in order to provide better fire services to the urban population of the state.
Replying to a query posed by the legislator Aman Arora, the minister said that Punjab has 195 fire vehicles for 54 fire stations out of which 114 are outdated. The minister said the previous dispensation totally neglected this sector. The minister also divulged that the Union government gave a grant worth Rs 90 Crore for fire services out of which only Rs 17 Crore were spent and that too for small vehicles. He said the rest was resumed due to non-spending.
Advertisement
Sidhu also revealed that till now, there is no vehicle for fire services equipped with hi-tech ladder although hordes of multi-storey structures have come up in the cities barring one at Mohali. He assured the House that the department would purchase the ultra modern vehicles for all the fire stations and a Fire Prevention Act would also be enacted by the department.
Replying to a question posed by another legislator Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa regarding illegal encroachments on water works land at Abohar, Sidhu admitted that some people have encroached on the above mentioned land. The minister disclosed that in 1961, 9.25 acre of land was acquired to increase the capacity of the water works built in 1931 at Abohar.
The people from whom the land was acquired were given adequate compensation at that time. The record pertaining to this is secured in record room at Ferozepur, he added. He further said after the formation of Shiromani Akali Dal-Bhartiya Janta Party (SAD-BJP) government in 2007, some Akali leaders tampered with the government record and got some portion registered in their names. "The then Deputy Commissioner without checking the record ordered the demarcation to facilitate the illegal encroachment or occupation of this land worth crores by these people. Not only this but these people also encroached upon the next khasra number outside the ambit of registry," he said.
Interacting with the mediapersons after the conclusion of day's session, Sidhu lashing out at the Akalis said that the SAD leaders due to the scams committed during their regime cannot face the public outside the assembly while inside they are resorting to walk-out tactics without any reason.
