Punjab Govt. put on HC notice over transport policy

Chandigarh, October 3
Manipulations in Punjab’s transport policy to rev up profits though private bus operations in the state have come under the judicial scanner.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today not only issued notice of motion to the Chief Secretary and the State of Punjab, but also called for a status report on the issue. Punjab Additional Advocate-General Vijay Kumar Jindal accepted the notice to the State and the Chief Secretary in the court.
Fixing October 21 as the next date of hearing, the Bench of Acting Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice Rajiv Narain Raina made it clear that the status report must be submitted a week in advance.
The Bench also made it clear that the notice, presently, was not being issued to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal.
The notice comes less than a week after The Tribune exposé on how Punjab’s transport policy was manipulated for driving private players in the state towards profit. It came on a petition filed by Barrister-at-Law Himmat Singh Shergill, who is seeking a probe into the matter by the Central Bureau of Investigation or a high court judge.
As the case came up for hearing today morning, the Bench wanted to know from Shergill how newspaper reports could be relied upon and whether the petitioner had on his own made efforts to gather details through the Right to Information Act or other sources.
Responding to the query, Shergill asserted that the series of reports was carried in The Tribune “which is a very reputed newspaper of the region, having great credibility”.
Meanwhile, People’s Party of Punjab chief Manpreet Badal in a statement today said it was alarming that the Badal family had tweaked the transport policy for personal gains. “It seems that benefits have been doled out by the Badals to leaders of all parties, to please his alliance partners as well as his political enemies,” the PPP leader said.
Manpreet said he had faith in the judiciary. “Each time a wrong has been committed, the courts have come to the rescue of the poor man. Though the court has not issued notices to Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Badal, the duo should themselves come forward and clarify their stand. Let them prove that they have committed no wrong,” he added.