AAP demands probe against Goonda Tax

Days after a construction-related firm wrote to Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court against “goonda tax” being levied on supply of sand and gravel for projects at Guru Gobind Singh Refinery, Bathinda, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday sought an impartial probe into the matter to unmask those involved in it.

The AAP legislator and leader of Opposition, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, said since the involvement of a close aide of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s son Raninder Singh has come to the light in the case, a thorough probe by either the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a sitting HC judge should be ordered into the matter.

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“Punjab’s image has been dented by this collection of goonda tax from businessmen. No businessman will come to invest in the state in this scenario. If no action is taken, there will be a question over the rule of law in the state,” he told reporters at a Press conference.

Khaira alleged while goonda tax of Rs 5000 per truck was being collected from suppliers of sand and gravel in the under construction Bathinda refinery during the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bhartiya Janata Party regime, the same has now jumped to Rs 20,000 per truck since the formation of Congress government in March 2017. “No businessman can take this much illegal collection” he said.

In the letter dated February 22, Ashok Bansal, who has a ready-mix concrete (RMC) plant at the Bathinda refinery, had alleged that the mining mafia is extorting daily goonda tax since the inception of Rs 25,000 Crore expansion project of refinery in Bathinda.

“The mining mafia became more active after the formation of Congress government in March 2017 than the SAD-BJP government during 2007-2017 and the situation has gone from bad to worse,” Basal said in the latter adding that written complaints to state and district authorities have failed to yield any result.

“Two companies, Sam India and Northern Logistic (P) Ltd, have submitted written complaints to both state government and district administration. I have also given an audio clip as proof to the Bathinda DC. As per the audio, the mining mafia is under direct control of political leaders and even CM house,” reads the letter.

It said the CM ordered a crackdown at a cabinet meeting on February 15 but on February 20 the person named RamandeepSidhu alias Happy Sidhu, sarpanch of Bangi village in Bathinda, came to the firm’s site office and threatened him (Bansal) “that no raw material can be moved to refinery without his involvement”.