Chandigarh: The AAP govt found itself on the defensive in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha as its own MLAs questioned delays in public works, demanded accountability from officials and flagged gaps in the implementation of conditions imposed on private hospitals.Jagraon MLA Saravjit Kaur Manuke confronted the govt over three pending road projects, including Guru Gobind Singh Marg, questioning repeated assurances about their completion. Another AAP MLA, Kulwant Singh (Mohali), challenged the govt over the alleged non-enforcement of conditions requiring private hospitals to provide free treatment to economically weaker patients and questioned whether incorrect information had been provided to the House.Manuke told the House that work on the roads from Lakha to Manuke, Guru Gobind Singh Marg and Raikot-Jagraon had been allotted in Oct 2023 but remained incomplete nearly three years later. She pointed out that she had raised the issue three times in the Assembly and had also summoned the minister’s secretaries before her committee on two occasions to seek answers.Questioning the effectiveness of the assurances given so far, Manuke asked what action would be taken against officials responsible for the delays and when the three roads would finally be completed. She also highlighted the accidents and fatalities on Guru Gobind Singh Marg, arguing that imposing a penalty on the contractor offered little consolation to families who had lost loved ones.Public works department minister Harbhajan Singh ETO acknowledged the delay and said a penalty of 5%, amounting to Rs 51.24 lakh, had been recovered from the contractor. He said 74% of the work had been completed and the remaining 26% would be finished by Nov 30.Manuke, however, reminded the minister that she had already received assurances on three previous occasions, with officials promising completion within one, two or three months. Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan intervened, asking the minister to ensure that the MLA was not left disappointed. The minister assured the House that the road works would be completed by Nov 30 and said departmental action would be taken against officials found responsible for the delays.In another pointed intervention, Kulwant Singh questioned the govt’s handling of conditions imposed on private hospitals allotted land at reserve prices. He said allotment letters dating back to 2000 stipulated that yellow-card holders and people belonging to economically weaker sections should receive free treatment, including 10% of outpatient department services and 5% of indoor treatment.Kulwant Singh asked the govt to establish whether hospitals had complied with these conditions and how many patients had benefited from free or concessional treatment. He also questioned whether the govt had a dedicated mechanism to regulate private hospitals and address complaints, including disputes over hospital bills.Health minister Dr Balbir Singh initially said the allotment of land fell under the purview of Puda rather than the health department. He subsequently assured the MLA that he would examine the allotment letters and take strict action if the conditions had not been implemented.However, Kulwant Singh questioned whether incorrect information had been provided to the House. He asked Speaker whether action could be taken in cases where members were given wrong information, maintaining that the hospitals he was referring to had been allotted land at reserve prices subject to specific conditions. He pressed the govt to establish whether those conditions had been honoured instead of passing responsibility from one department to another.Kulwant Singh also called for legislation to establish a dedicated regulatory authority for private hospitals, arguing that without such a body, patients could continue to be deprived of facilities to which they were entitled.The issue also prompted questions from AAP Banga MLA Dr Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi, who sought regulation of fees charged by hospitals established under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. He pointed out that charges for the same operation could vary substantially between hospitals.Dr Balbir Singh said discussions had been held with the Indian Medical Association and Central govt on the issue of regulating hospital charges. He said hospitals should clearly display their fees, adding that a uniform system of regulation was not yet in place nationally.Meanwhile, Amritsar Central MLA Ajay Gupta questioned the delay in the construction of a multi-storey parking facility at Hall Bazaar’s Kairon Market in Amritsar. He said the project was intended to ease congestion in one of the city’s major commercial areas but remained incomplete despite the passage of the original completion period.Minister Harjot Singh Bains said the site had faced delays because existing electrical infrastructure, including transformers and high- and low-tension panels, had to be cleared by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). He said the site was cleared in Jan 2026 and assured the House that the project would be completed by Dec 15, 2026.Gupta sought assurance that strict action would be taken if the contractor failed to meet the deadline. He also questioned why the MLA had not been informed earlier about the infrastructure-related hurdles.
