NURMAHAL
The Water Resources Department of the Punjab Government has failed to implement the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office’s direction to release the balance amount of contract-cum lease money to the gram panchayat of Gag Dhagara village.
The Punjab Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) taking note of Gag Dhagara village panchayat efforts for the last seven years to receive the balance amount of contract-cum lease money has directed the principal secretary to do the need full.
Secretary in the CMO in an email message to the principal secretary Water Resources Department of the Punjab Government on February 24 has forwarded a news report saying that the trailing email received in the Chief Minister Office pertained to your department and you are requested to take immediate action as per government rules/ policy in the matter. Inform the sender (as per email ID) of the action taken under intimation to this office at the earliest.
Dilbag Singh, a resident of Baina Pur village and a social activist has sent a news report on the non-receipt of the contract -cum lease money by the panchayat to the CMO.
The news report has said that the Gram Panchayat of the last village of the Jalandhar district’s boundary situated on the Sutlej River, Gag Dhagara is running from pillar to post for the last seven years to receive the balance amount of contract-cum lease money toward the gram panchayat land auctioned in his favor by the mining department for extraction of minor minerals.
Sarpanch of gram panchayat Gag Dhagara Banat Kaur had said that the Sarpanch and Ex Sarpanch of the village had filed a civil writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2015 seeking directions to a private contractor to deposit the balance amount of contract-cum lease money towards the Gram Panchayat land auctioned in his favour by the mining department for extraction of minor minerals
Justice Surya Kant and Justice P.B.Bajanthri disposing of the petition had said in their judgment on February 2, 2016, that the needful including the determination of the amount payable by a private contractor shall be done within three months. It had said no sooner such adjudication takes place the mining department will deduct that amount from the security deposit and release Gram Panchayat’s share within one month.
Sarpanch said that an amount of Rs 1,4815757 was deducted by the mining department from the security of a private contractor but still not paid to the gram panchayat.
She said that the gram panchayat in its meeting held on November 19, 2002, had passed a resolution for recovering the pending amount of Rs 14815757 from the mining department and the block development and panchayat officer Nurmahal block sent the resolution to the sub-divisional magistrate Phillaur but still the panchayat is waiting for the release of amount.
Sarpanch said that the mining department had auctioned village mining khud in 2013 which remained in operation till 2015.
Nurmahal Block Development and Panchayat Officer Dhara Kakarr had said the district mining officer has told her that amount in question will be released by the Headquarters as it had auctioned mining khud and deducted money from the contractor’s deposit and he has sent a report in this regard to senior officials.
Sarpanch said she has received no information in this regard.