Chandigarh: Leader of Opposiion Sukhpal Singh Khaira while welcoming the decision of CM and Ministers to pay their own income tax said AAP MLA’s are also willing to pay their own taxes, provided the CM takes sincere and genuine austerity measures to save the critical financial situation of Punjab.
Khaira said “charity begins from home”, the CM must first set an example and disband the army of Advisors and OSD’s, when he already has a top heavy bureaucracy available at his disposal. Khaira said there are 10 officers currently holding the scale of Additional Chief Secretary besides dozens of Financial Commissioner’s, scores of Administrative Secretaries etc. Why should the CM need 19 more people to advise him and assist him, when he has officers trained to run a government?
Similarly the CM has also constituted many Commission’s apart from the two dozen odd constitutionally constituted Commission’s available. For example the Justice Narang Commission constituted to inquire into the infamous mining scandal has submitted its report to the CM on 10th August 2017, but nothing has been heard thereafter. After all lots of public exchequer money was spent on its working but without any tangible result, said Khaira. Similarly he said the government set up the Punjab Governance Reforms and Ethics commission, it’s been almost one year but we haven’t heard about any reform till now.
LoP Khaira said it appears that the said army of Advisor’s, OSD’s and Commission’s are basically to adjust the near and dear ones of the Chief Minister, by offering huge largesse at the cost of public exchequer. Khaira said the logic handed out that the state will save Rs. 11 crore if all MLA’s and Minister’s pay their own income tax is amusing. Compared to this the monthly cost of 19 Advisors, OSD’s alone would be more than Rs. 11 crore, as many of them have been bestowed as Cabinet and Minister of State status, that entitles them to salary, TA, DA, bungalows, car, staff, security etc.
Khaira said isn’t the government being “penny wise and pound foolish” by saving Rs. 11 crore annually but not trying to save Rs. 11 crore per month. Khaira said if the Advisor’s and OSD’s are genuinely sincere to the CM and want to save Punjab, they should do it without financial entitlements by just taking honorarium.
Apart from the above heavy expenditure being incurred by the army of Advisors and OSD’s etc., Khaira said that the CM, Minister’s, AG, Advisors etc. recently spent crores of public exchequer money to renovate their already palacious government houses. Khaira said the Advocate General alone spent Rs. 1 crore of public exchequer money to create a camp office at his official residence barely stone’s throw distance from the existing huge office complex of the Advocate General at the High Court. Khaira said that the Chief Minister should also refrain from using the state helicopter atleast within the state of Punjab which is only 350 square kilometer and is easily accessible by road within four hours from any corner.
Last but not the least Khaira reminded the CM of huge expenditure being incurred by his government on very expensive lawyers like P.Chidambaram to defend his unconstitutional appointment of Suresh Kumar Chief Principal Secretary. Khaira said that I have learnt that the Punjab government not only flew P.Chidambaram in state chopper couple of days back but also paid him Rs. 25 lac as his fees for one day appearance in the High Court. Khaira said all these unnecessary and unwanted expenses should also be cut down, only then the austerity measures being taken by the CM would look to be meaningful.
Khaira said if the CM doesn’t heed to his suggestion, it would mean that the decision of paying own income tax by him and his Ministers, is nothing but an eyewash.