Panjab Chief Secretary Will Head Development Boards, Opposition Up In Arms

On 22 Jun, the Panjab cabinet decided to appoint the state chief secretary Kumar Anugraha Prasad Sinha as the chairman of all local development boards in the state. This move effectively transfers the position from the Chief Minister, who traditionally held this role. To enable this, the cabinet has amended Section 29(3) of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act. Finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, 'The CM has a busy schedule. This change will help streamline proceedings and ensure timely decision-making.' Sinha will now head the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority, Greater Ludhiana Development Authority, and Punjab Urban Development Authority where the land pooling scheme has recently been implemented. Opposition parties in the state have slammed the move. Leader of Opposition, Indian National Congress’ (INC) Partap Singh Bajwa said, 'This is not a policy decision—it is a hostile takeover. The governance in Panjab is being run directly by Kejriwal and his handpicked persons.' Panjab INC president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said, 'Replacing CM with an in-service bureaucrat to head various development boards will make the govt completely unaccountable to the public.' Meanwhile, Panjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has approved a 14-point action plan as part of the Integrated State Water Plan to preserve and replenish groundwater in the state. The plan aims to reduce groundwater dependence and promote the use of canal and surface water for irrigation and other needs. The CM expressed concern over the annual average of the lowering of water level by 0.7 meter due to extraction of 5.2 BCM water. He reiterated the govt has already restored 17,000 water courses with an approximate length of about 6,300 km and 79 canals, covering 545 km. In other news, on 15 Jun, leaders of the ruling AAP and opposition INC found common ground as they opposed the union govt’s One Nation, One Election proposal. AAP state president Aman Arora described the proposal as 'a direct assault on the fundamental structure and spirit of the Constitution of India as framed by Babasaheb Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar' (earlier coverage).