Badal’s Orders Solid Waste, Rakhra Unmoved
During the second week of December 2012, after ex-mayors Ajit Pal Singh Kohli and Jaspal Pardhan had approached him, Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal spoke with rustic development and panchayati raj minister Rakhra over phone.
“The CM told rustic development and panchayati raj minister to clear the problems,” stated a source in the CM’s office.
“Pardhan wished Rakhra to ask the sarpanch of Dudhar village (where the project is proposed) to sign the final no-objection certificate (NOC).”
On May 13, media reported how the rustic development and panchayati raj minister had forwarded verbal orders to sarpanch Harpal Singh to not pass the final no-objection certificate until his signal.
Harpal had accepted it on record. When Ranjit Singh Brahmpura was rustic development head during the last term of the Shiromani Akali Dal administration, he also had requested Rakhra (then constituency in-charge of the SAD from Samana) to provide his permission to the plan.
At that time, Ajit Pal Singh was mayor.
In the last 2-years-and-a-half, 3 mayors have taken over in Patiala and all have asked Rakhra to push the sarpanch to give nod to the no-objection certificate. Some days back, Amarinder Bajaj, was the newest mayor to meet Rakhra to get his assistance in this regard.
“Since the project was to end the solid-waste woes of the city, we all tried our best to convince Rakhra but even the CM’s asking him to cooperate was to no avail,” said a former mayor.
The detaining of the no-objection certificate has also concealed 200 fresh jobs for the local youth. Heads near to Rakhra state that the minister dreaded counterattack from villagers, if solid waste was treated in his electorate.
The project, despite all permissions from the panchayat, administration and the municipal firm, is stuck for the last two years, awaiting the sarpanch to sign the concluding NOC to allow the administration get hold of 20 acres for the plant. Of the 40 acres needed, 20 acres already is with the Patiala civic body on lease.
