India News | Punjab Congress MLA Khaira Asks Mann to Issue White Paper on 'illegal Sand Mining'

Chandigarh, Apr 8 (PTI) Punjab Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Friday asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to release a white paper on illegal sand mining that allegedly took place in the last 10 years to expose those who were involved in it.

Khaira said Mann should expose politicians, bureaucrats or others who were hand in glove in illegal sand mining in the state, adding that he has written to the chief minister regarding this.

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"I am demanding that a white paper on illegal mining that took place in the last 10 years should be released to know who were involved in it," Khaira said, addressing the media here.

The Bholath MLA also reminded the Aam Aadmi Party of its claims before the Punjab assembly polls that there was a theft of sand worth Rs 20,000 crore by the mining mafia in the state.

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"If there was a theft of Rs 20,000 crore, people should come to know who were involved in it," Khaira said.

"If the AAP-led government does not reveal it then it means their allegations were frivolous and bogus. And they are trying to protect the mining mafia, corrupt offices and politicians," he added.

On the delay in the appointment of the leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Khaira said the party is seized of the matter. "Of course there is a delay," he said.

The Congress has 18 MLAs in the 117-member state assembly and is the main opposition party.

Khaira said he felt that had the leader of opposition been in place, the party could have managed to get one Rajya Sabha seat.

The Aam Aadmi Party's five candidates, including former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, were elected unopposed as Rajya Sabha members from Punjab last month.

On the infighting in the Punjab Congress unit coming out in the open, Khaira said the party's protest against inflation was a success.

He said the people knew who “looted” the state.

Apparently referring to youth Congress chief Brinder Dhillon without taking his name, Khaira said whatever the leader said was unwarranted.

Infighting in the Punjab Congress came out in the open on Thursday at a protest meeting here when Dhillon dared Navjot Singh Sidhu to take names if he felt anyone in the party was involved in wrongdoing.

Replying to another question, Khaira called Navjot Sidhu an honest person.

In the letter to Mann, Khaira wrote, "I would urge you to kindly bring a white paper on the illegal mining issue so that the black sheep indulging in the aforesaid activity could be exposed before the people of Punjab. This must be done before the state government formulates the mining policy on the issue."

"This would not only generate revenue for debt-ridden Punjab but would also make sand available at affordable prices to the common man," he wrote.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)