CHANDIGARH: Several Punjab legislators belonging to Congress (I) and other political parties have not been repaying the house building and car loans they obtained from the state government in the past and have, in fact, started putting pressure on the chief minister to allot them concessional residential plots from his preferential quota.
Among the Punjab ministers who defaulted in making repayment of the government loans are excise and taxation minister Shamsher Singh Dullo, food minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, social welfare minister Brahm Lokindra and minister of State for irrigation and power Surinder Kapur, The legislators who have yet to clear their loan are Congress(I)’s wealthy hotelier Venod Sharma and an M.P. Sant Ram Singh. Sharma owes to the government as much as Rs 54000. Sajda Begam and Gurcharan Singh Nihai singhwala are some of the other defaulters.
Many Akali legislators, too, have not paid the loans they obtained from the government. They include Nath Singh Dalam, Hardipinder Singh, Gurdev Singh Badal, Mohinder Singh Sayianwala, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, Jasdev Singh Sandhu and Narinder Singh,
Baldev Singh Loomba and Kulwant Singh are some of the Communist legislators who refuse to make repayment of the loans.
Meanwhile, chief minister Beant Singh recently revived the plan to make allotment of plots at his discretion. He allotted to such plots at Mohali to legislators who have been pressing Beant Singh to reduce the land prices to line their pockets,
The chief minister has also evolved a scheme to raise the facilities available to legislators such as monthly and daily allowance as well as pensionary benefits available to them. Some of the Punjab ministers have been asking for more air-conditioners for their offices and residences. Sushil Mahajan, minister of state for education, wants two air conditioners for her office rather than the one allowed al government guest houses at Amritsar, Jalandhar and other towns on a permanent basis.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 17, 1992
