Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal on Friday condemned the Punjab govt’s decision to allow private builders to buy back chunks of land reserved for housing for economically weaker section (EWS), accusing the party of defrauding the underprivileged sections of the society.
SAD leader and former cabinet minister Daljit Singh Cheema has sought a high-level probe into the proposal which, he added, smacked of corruption and kickbacks. He said that the AAP govt in Punjab has made it clear that it was in the business of raising money for the party’s profligacy and least concerned about the welfare of the poorer sections.
He also appealed to the Punjab cabinet not to approve the proposal stating that the AAP govt could not strike a death blow on the aspirations of the weaker sections to own houses under the EWS scheme. “This proposal to auction off land reserved for the EWS in private projects is a clear message to the “aam aadmi” that they should stop dreaming of owning a small shelter near high-end flats,” added Cheema. TNN