Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today ordered the DCs and SSPs to crack down on illegal mining and 'goonda tax'.
While addressing a meeting of the deputy commissioners and
senior superintendents of police of various districts here, the chief
minister issued strict instructions to the officials to not entertain
any intervention or recommendation (sifarish) while taking action
against illegal mining or 'goonda tax', an official release said.
The
chief minister instructed the officials to list out all legal
contractors, with both police and civic administration, and ensure that
legal mining operations are conducted as per rules and regulations.
With
respect to the 'goonda tax', Amarinder called for a stern action,
making it clear that his government would not tolerate any laxity on
this count.
Notably, the Congress-led state government was facing
criticism from opposition parties SAD-BJP and AAP for the alleged
"rampant illegal mining and extortion of money" from businessmen.
The
time to procrastinate was over, Amarinder said, adding that after one
year in office, there could be no excuse for any laxity in putting an
end to all illegal businesses and corruption.
The CM underlined
his government's commitment to tackle corruption at all levels and
stressed the need for DCs and SSPs to work closely together to improve
the processes and systems.
He urged the officials to make extensive use of IT for monitoring of works/applications received.
During
the meeting, Amarinder also directed the officials to ensure stringent
enforcement of the war against drugs through a coordinated campaign by
the Special Task Force (STF) and the district police.
The two
should work closely, with strong focus on proper rehabilitation of the
addicts, said the CM, emphasising the need for concerted efforts in
wiping out drugs completely from the state.
Congratulating the
district administration for the arrangements made for wheat procurement,
Amarinder said very good work had been done during the last
procurements.
He called upon the DCs to ensure that all
preparations for the forthcoming season are completed in time and there
is no harassment of farmers by the agencies.
PTI
