Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu

Punjab’s Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu spoke to The Sunday Express on the recent Amritsar train accident that left 61 dead and several injured. Excerpts:

The Municipal Corporation Amritsar (MCA) and Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) have been sparring over who was responsible for giving permission for the Dhobi Ghat event.

There were many other Dussehra events that were organised without permission. Did the accident take place on Dhobi Ghat land? The accident occurred on railways lines. What should have the speed of the train been? Why is the driver making wrong allegations on people about stone pelting? Why was no medical test of the driver done? On what basis was a clean chit is given to the driver? These are big questions.

But to whom should organisers ask for permission for such events in future?

If the organiser had asked for the permission and MCA didn’t grant it, why was the event allowed to take place?

This is the issue over which MCA and AIT are sparring.

But it has been going on like this for 50 years. Such events were held without permissions. What needs to be done is all concerned should take collective responsibility for the event.

But you are also local bodies minister of state.

Minister do not give permissions. Officials give permission. If an illegal building is constructed, who gives the permission? Obviously, officials. And if officials are not able to stop construction of illegal building, should he/she be held responsible for it or not?

Some Congress councilors have alleged that top MCA officials are lying.

I have not said it and I am not responsible if anyone has said so. I have to run whole state. Can I be held responsible for what an official is doing ?

Don’t you think that infighting between AIT and MCA over such a tragedy is insensitive?

I do not want to comment what officials are doing. I have not said anything to them in this regard.

But the fight between MCA and AIT is giving an ‘excuse’ to organiser Sourab Mithu Madan, a Congress leader.

What fault will you find in the event organiser?

Are you ready to give clean chit to organiser ?

First, media was saying that screen was towards railways line. Now it has proved that no screen was facing railways line. How is MCA responsible for what happened on railways property ? Still I didn’t say who is responsible and who is not. But railways minister came and gave clean chit to organiser within three hours.

But you are also giving clean chit to organiser.

I am not giving clean chit to anyone.

There will be such events in future. Most of the land in city belongs to AIT and MCA. Who will give permission for events in future ?

If I say something today, it would be an offence to the ongoing probe. Let the probe conclude. There are lessons to be learnt from this tragedy.

But as local bodies minister, can you raise these questions?

Yes, I am a minister and see what I have been doing to bring things back on track. The irregularities from past shows that there is no audit of local bodies for the past 11 years. Not a single cash book is there on daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis. I wrote against three IAS officers in matter of single tendering. (Incumbent MCA commissioner Sonali Giri was one of three officials). So I am not favouring any one. But still in this tragedy, biggest culprit is railways. And the railways is not probing it. Under Railways Safety Act, the railways should have ordered a probe within an hour of the accident.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.