Punjab Transport Minister Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Wednesday alleged that the department has suffered a loss of Rs 6,600 crore in the last fourteen-and-a-half years (ten years of the SAD-led government and four-and-a-half years of the Congress government). former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh) He said that “a Special Investigation Team will be formed to investigate the scam thoroughly and every person found guilty, whether politician or officer, will not be spared at any cost.”
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Waring took a jibe at former chief minister Amarinder Singh and SAD president Sukhbir Badal, saying they are “shaking hands with each other (uncle, nephew nal milya hoya si)”.
Waring, who took over as Minister of Transport on 26 September Charanjit Singh Channi Amarinder Singh replaced as CM, said that the total income of PRTC and Punjab Roadways has increased by 42.57%. He said the income of both the agencies increased to Rs 104.31 crore in October from Rs 73.16 crore in September. He said that the daily income from both the agencies has crossed Rs one crore. Waring said the daily income has increased after crackdown on “tax evaders, illegal activities and bus operators walking without a permit”.
He added: “Ten years of SAD-BJP The four-and-a-half year rule of Captain Amarinder Singh compromised the government and allowed the treasury to be looted completely. A daily income of Rs 1 crore would have translated into Rs 5,200 crore in the last four and a half years.
“The order passed by Justice Surya Kant of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2012 against illegal extension in several permits was not properly implemented”, Waring said. He said that “Now, we have fully implemented this decision and canceled 680 permits allowing illegal extension of more than one lakh km. This will give a daily profit of Rs 42 lakh to the state government from the month of October. He stressed that if the illegal extension had been canceled during the period from 2012 to 2021, a total of Rs 1,380 crore (Rs 42 lakh per day) would have gone to the state exchequer and this amount would have been spent on public welfare. could have been done.
He said, “If Rs 6,600 crore (Rs 5,220 crore + Rs 1,380 crore) had gone to the state treasury, 24,000 new buses could have been purchased and 50,000 drivers, conductors and other staff would be recruited for these buses and two new buses. could have been done. could be run from every village of the state.
“Since I took office, 304 buses have been confiscated and 64 buses have been challaned for tax evasion, driving without a permit and other violations,” Waring said. He said that the Transport Department has been able to recover Rs 7 crore as tax.
Notably, Waring conducted surprise inspections in Mohali and Rajpura on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning and ordered the confiscation of several buses, including an Indo-Canadian transport company bus headed to Delhi International Airport, for violating the rules. .
Responding to a question, Waring said that Finance Minister Manpreet Badal’s family-owned bus service (Raghuraj Transport) has “tax dues to the tune of Rs 13 lakh” and added that Manpreet had told the media to deposit the amount. Will give
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