A few days after AAP came to power in the Punjab Assembly elections, valuables missing from the government houses of two former ministers came into the limelight.
Manpreet Singh Badal, one of the two Congress ministers in question, has claimed that he “bought” the missing information from his vacated house (No 47) on March 24. Badal also shared a picture of a check for Rs 1.84. lakhs which he handed over to the officials.
Manpreet Singh Badal’s brother-in-law Jaijit Singh Johal also said in a video shared on Facebook that the furniture reported missing by the authorities was not ‘antique’ as is being claimed on social media.
Reading: Property worth lakhs missing after two former Punjab ministers vacated their government houses
Johal said, “I would also like to clarify that the furniture is not classified as heritage but was renovated in 2008 when Manpreet Badal became the finance minister. The furniture was repaired by spending Rs 1.60 lakh. Was.”
Badal’s brother-in-law claimed that the valuables in question – a dining table, ten dining table chairs, a service trolley and a recliner sofa – were restored in 2017 as they were not in use for 15 years.
“After 15 years, we vacated the house and the then Akali Dal minister was allotted. He did not use the items that were gathering dust in the PWD store. The items were re-issued to Manpreet Badal in 2017 When he became the Finance Minister.
“The items were re-repaired and the PWD department gave you the option that, if you want to keep the furniture, you can pay for it. We paid Rs 1.84 lakh for the old furniture. We paid Rs. Only one check has been issued. March 2022,” Jaijit Singh Johal said.
When asked why if the goods could not be put into service why were they not put in public auction, an official of Punjab PWD Department (B&R) said, “There is a provision to recover the cost of the items from the allottee if Items missing.”
Therefore, the concerned authorities have issued no dues certificate to the former minister, the official said.
Apart from house number 47, two refrigerators, five LED TVs, four oil-filled radiators, six room heaters and five pedestal fans worth over Rs 4.86 lakh were also reported missing from house number 960, allotted to former Gurpreet Kanger. it was done. Revenue Minister.
While the officials have asked the minister to return the valuables, the minister has claimed that he has not yet vacated the official residence.
Reacting to the developments, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, a cabinet minister in CM Bhagwant Mann’s AAP government, said, “I have also been allotted a government house. On inspection, it is found that even small items worth a few hundred rupees were found.” are taken away.
“If we stoop to this level, what kind of politics are they doing? They are thieves and robbers. I condemn it.”
When asked to comment, AAP spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang said it is not appropriate to “steal” household appliances and furniture. He said that the officials managing the properties are equally responsible for the defaults.
“Nobody authorized them [Congress ministers] Take government property with you. It tells about his character. They looted Punjab first and did not hesitate to steal furniture and other valuables. It is shameful,” Malvinder Singh Kang said.