Members question accuracy of official replies in Punjab House

Chandigarh: Concerns over incorrect or incomplete replies given by departments to questions raised by legislators surfaced in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on the third day of the Budget session.AAP MLA Gurdit Singh raised the issue during the Question Hour, referring to a reply given by the department of water supply and sanitation on the quality of drinking water in Faridkot city. According to the written response tabled in the House, the department stated that the water quality was found potable. According to the department's reply, the water was tested on April 15, 2025 (chemical test), July 24, 2025 (chemical test), May 27, 2025 (bacteriological test), Jan 12, 2026 (bacteriological test), and Feb 19, 2026 (heavy metal test). The report concluded that the water was fit for human consumption. However, Gurdit Singh said that the replies placed in the House sometimes differ from the ground reality. He pointed out that during the summer months, groundwater is used to meet the drinking water needs of urban areas in Faridkot. According to him, officials often refuse to supply water, citing the presence of uranium. He argued that there was no scientific evidence establishing that uranium causes cancer. Gurdit Singh said he repeatedly asked officials to test water from each borewell and supply water from sources where it is fit for consumption. "If the minister is stating in the House that the water is fit for drinking, then why is it not being supplied to people in those areas?" he asked, urging the minister to clarify the situation. Responding to the issue, water supply and sanitation minister Hardeep Singh Mundian, who also holds the revenue, rehabilitation and disaster management portfolio, said work under AMRUT Phase II was under way in Faridkot to strengthen the water supply system. He informed the House that a 22 km pipeline project costing Rs 19 crore, including the replacement of old pipelines, was being executed and was expected to be completed in three to four months. Rana Inder Partap Singh, independent MLA from Sultanpur Lodhi, said his question sought details of the extent of losses assessed by the district administration, Kapurthala, but the response only stated that 75 villages of Sultanpur Lodhi tehsil were affected due to the 2025 flooding in the Beas, resulting in losses to crops, houses, and livestock. Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan intervened and asked him to read the next part of the reply. In response, he said the reply stated the district administration sought Rs 10.70 crore as compensation for flood losses in Sultanpur Lodhi and that the govt released the entire amount demanded. However, Rana Inder Partap Singh said the response did not quantify the actual extent of damage. Referring to the 2023 floods, he said losses were estimated at over 40,000 acres, and given the scale of devastation in 2025, the damage could be even higher. According to him, compensation for the affected area should be around Rs 80 crore. He further claimed that although the govt stated that Rs 10.70 crore was released for Sultanpur Lodhi, information available to him suggested that only Rs 8.25 crore was actually distributed among affected people in the area. Rana Inder Partap Singh also pointed out that as per Govt of India guidelines, landless farmers are entitled to compensation, but they did not receive it so far. He urged the minister to re-examine the figures and reassess the losses so that all affected people could be compensated. Replying to the concerns, minister Hardeep Singh Mundian clarified that the district administration sought Rs 10.70 crore for compensation in Sultanpur Lodhi, out of which Rs 10,68,07,507 was disbursed to affected persons. He added that heavy rainfall was notified as a state-specific disaster, and compensation for damage caused by heavy rains was being provided. Bajwa flags ‘anomaly' Partap Singh Bajwa, leader of opposition, pointed out what he described as an anomaly in the House proceedings. He said the list of questions circulated for the day included his question related to the agriculture policy, but it was later removed. Bajwa alleged that the question list was changed as the minister was unable to answer it. He urged the Speaker to ensure that such incidents do not occur in future, terming it a wrong parliamentary practice. Over 77k GST regns cancelled in 3 years More than 77,000 GST registrations have been cancelled in Punjab over the past three years, with nearly 54% of them cancelled at the request of taxpayers themselves, state govt informed the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. The figures indicate the scale of businesses that have either shut down or opted to exit the tax system. Replying to a question by MLA Dr Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said 41,290 GST registrations were cancelled between April 2022 and Dec 2025 following applications submitted by taxpayers. The cancellations included cases where businesses had failed, closed down operations, or faced bankruptcy. Providing details of enforcement action, Cheema said Rs 157.11 crore was recovered as penalty and interest from small traders with turnover below Rs 5 crore between April 2022 and Dec 2025. MSID:: 129329019 413 | MSID:: 129329019 413 |