Chandigarh, October 6, 2021 (Yes Punjab News)
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today asked chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi to stop helicopter hopping for a few days and resolve grievances of the scheduled caste and weaker sections of society besides stressing the need to announce immediate compensation for farmers as well as khet mazdoor who have been affected due to destruction of the cotton crop by pink ball worm attack.
In a statement here, SAD Spokesman Pawan Kumar Tinu said it was more than a week since the chief minister had heli-hopped to Bathinda to see the colossal damage done to the cotton crop over lakhs of acres of land. He said the chief minister had promised prompt compensation but not a single farmer or khet mazdoor had received any compensation. “The State government is yet to conduct a survey to assess the damage done to the cotton crop”.
Mr Pawan Tinu said reports emanating from the Malwa region indicated that the khet mazdoor were in dire straits due to the destruction of the cotton crop and had lost their means of livelihood. “We request the chief minister to devote a few days in his office to order a comprehensive compensation for the khet mazdoor on the same lines as done by the erstwhile SAD led government of Parkash Singh Badal when cotton crop was similarly affected”.
Mr Tinu said the ascendency of Mr Channi to the chief minister’s position had been seen with optimism by the scheduled caste and weaker sections of society. “There was a feeling that the new chief minister would expedite all social welfare schemes relating to the weaker sections besides ensuring justice against wrongs committed against the scheduled caste population”. He said the hopes of the community have been belied.
“The chief minister has not expedited dispersals under any social welfare scheme including the ‘shagun’ scheme and old age pension scheme. Even lakhs of blue cards given to below poverty line families, which were scrapped unjustly during Congress government tenure, have not been restored”.
Even more importantly, Mr Tinu said the scheduled caste community, particularly students, were looking up to Channi to deliver justice to them. “There was a feeling in the SC student community that Channi would order registration of a criminal case against former social welfare minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and order his immediate arrest for embezzling Rs 65 crore meant for SC students besides wrongful distribution of crores of rupees to favoured institutions. However this has not been done which are eroded the faith of the SC students in Mr Channi’s leadership”.
Mr Tinu requested the new chief minister to pay heed to the problems of the weaker sections and not allow him to be reduced to a puppet of the Gandhi family. “Even now Mr Channi is busy working as per the Gandhi family game plan to build the image of Priyanka Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh instead of working for the people of Punjab”. He appealed to the chief minister to stop heli-hopping for a few days and attend his office and work for the betterment of Punjabis.
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