After a gap of more than five months, Punjab Vidhan Sabha convened for a two-day special session, which kicked off on Monday with sharp criticisms and significant policy discussions. The Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government over issues like illegal mining, shortage of school heads, the unprecedented delay in holding the session, and governance failures; while the state Cabinet Minister Aman Arora did not mince a word while issuing a stern warning to the officers against misleading or harassing the public.

The session, which comes after the government skipped the winter session, saw intense deliberations on crucial matters ranging from education, renewable energy, and health infrastructure to law and order concerns. Amid these discussions, the absence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann raised eyebrows, with opposition leaders questioning his non-participation in such a legislative sitting, that’s taking place after a long time.

Bajwa wasted no time in targeting the AAP Government for failing to curb illegal mining, which he alleged was flourishing under the administration’s watch. He lambasted the Government for not taking stringent action against mafias who, he claimed, were plundering Punjab’s natural resources with impunity. Bajwa also criticized the Government for convening a mere two-day session, arguing that a State grappling with multiple crises needed more extensive legislative deliberations. 

“It is disgraceful that after skipping the winter session entirely, the Government has called for this mere formality of a two-day session. This is an insult to the democratic process. Punjab is in a crisis — be it illegal mining, lawlessness, or broken promises — but this government seems disinterested in governance,” Bajwa said.

Also taking on the AAP Government over vacancies in schools, Bajwa gave the School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains some uncomfortable moments when he questioned him over the vacancies of headmasters and principals in the state government schools.

“Your government, earlier in Delhi and now here, often talk about two models — Health and Education. Can the Minister concerned please inform the House how many total high schools are there in the state, and how many percentage headmasters are there. Can the Minister tell us how many senior secondary schools are there and how many of them have no principals,” he said.

Arora’s Stern Message to Officers-in-Field

Responding to a query during the Question Hour, Cabinet Minister Aman Arora issued a stern warning to government officers against misleading the public or creating unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles. Citing a recent case from Faridkot, where a basketball coach’s family was denied an income certificate, Arora said: “It is unacceptable for officials to sit in government offices and harass the people. Officers should change their ways, or else their pensions will not take long to be held back.”

Congress MLA Rana Gurjit Singh interjected, questioning what concrete action had been taken against the erring officials. In response, Arora assured that his government was committed to holding officials accountable and urged MLAs to report such instances directly to him. 

19110 Govt Schools To Be Covered With Solar Energy

Arora, who also oversees the Renewable Energy Department, made a significant announcement regarding the government’s plan to power all government schools with solar energy. “We have already installed solar panels in 4,238 schools, with work underway in 2,400 more. Our goal is to bring all 19,110 government schools and over 53,000 government buildings under solar power,” he said, adding that even private buildings should be encouraged to adopt solar energy solutions, and release the burden of subsidy from the state power department.

Health Minister Raises Concerns Over 41 ‘Defunct’ Oxygen Plants

Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh raised a major concern about the state’s oxygen infrastructure, revealing that 41 oxygen plants — set up during the COVID-19 pandemic under the previous Congress Government — are now non-operational. Terming them “white elephants”, he expressed serious doubts over their viability, stating that the oxygen produced by these plants was not meeting the required purity levels.  Bajwa questioned the government on the status of the oxygen plant in Gurdaspur, to which Dr Balbir responded, “That plant is currently defunct, but tenders have been floated, and it should be operational by March.” Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan also urged the Health Minister to expedite efforts to make these plants functional, particularly the one in Faridkot. However, Dr Balbir reiterated that his Department was relying on liquid oxygen supplies for now, as the purity levels of these defunct plants remained questionable. “The 99 percent purity is required, and these plants give oxygen with about 93-94 percent purity which, I believe as a doctor myself, will not be suitable to use for the patients,” he added.

Pargat Singh Calls for Scrapping of National Education Policy

Jalandhar MLA Pargat Singh raised concerns over the National Education Policy (NEP), calling it an “RSS-driven agenda” and urging the Punjab Government to reject it, as six other states have already done. “Once we start implementing it, we will have no choice but to continue with it. This is a dangerous policy aimed at distorting education,” he warned. 

Pathankot MLA Raises Security Concerns

BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma flagged security concerns in the border district of Pathankot, pointing out that a significant number of outsiders had settled there in the last three years. “Crime is on the rise. The government must ensure proper verification of these individuals, especially since Pathankot has witnessed terrorist attacks in the past,” he cautioned. 

Strict Punishment Sought For Milk Adulteration

Congress MLA Rana Gurjit Singh highlighted the issue of adulterated milk being supplied in Punjab, calling for stringent laws with punishments ranging from eight to 10 years for offenders. “Right now, these culprits get away with minor penalties. This is a serious health hazard,” he asserted, urging the government to bring a law in the next session.

Govt Waiting for NABARD Funds to Repair Roads

The poor condition of roads, exacerbated by increased traffic due to the farmers’ protest at the Shambhu border, was also raised by several MLAs. Due to the protest, alternate routes through Derabassi and nearby villages have deteriorated under heavy traffic, said Derabassi MLA Kuljit Singh Randhawa, highlighting the plight of these roads. Responding, Cabinet Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian assured the House that repairs would begin as soon as the Punjab Government received a loan of Rs 1,800 crore from NABARD. “The moment funds are disbursed, the repair of rural roads will begin,” he said.