On the final day of the Budget Session of the Punjab Legislative Assembly i.e. today (March 16), MLAs and ministers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a protest over the reported shortage of LPG cylinders in the state.
Reportedly, ahead of the session, AAP leaders staged a protest outside the Assembly complex, raising slogans while wearing jackets as part of the demonstration. The legislators later entered the House still wearing the protest attire and continued their protest inside as well, drawing a strong objection from Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan. However, despite the objection, the MLAs and ministers continued with their demonstration.
Speaking during the protest, MLA Manwinder Singh said that the people were facing severe difficulty in booking LPG cylinders, “When we try calling gas agencies, the calls don’t even go through; one cannot even book a cylinder,” he asserts. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchakk stated that people were being forced to stand in long queues to obtain gas cylinders, “We cannot turn a blind eye to this situation, we have already passed a resolution condemning this,” he states.
Aman Sher Singh Kalsi also claimed that the shortage was affecting even the Union Territory “Let alone Punjab, we are unable to procure cylinders even in Chandigarh and have to rely on personal recommendations,” he said.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema points fingers at the Central government’s foreign policy for the ongoing crisis and further links the shortage to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. He also assured the House that the state government was making efforts to resolve the issue and warned of strict action against those involved in black-marketing of LPG cylinders.
Meanwhile, responding to a query in the House, Punjab Power Minister Sanjeev Arora announced that new electricity grids would be installed to address the power crisis in Punjab. The project is estimated to cost ₹6 crore.