The volunteers of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today gheraoed Sukhvilas resort and Spa of Sukhbir Badal constructed in Palanpur forest area and sit on dharna on the road where police had laid barricades.AAP leaders Raghav Chadha, Kanwar Sandhu, Jassi Jasraj and Adv. Dinesh Chaddha led the protest dharna and march by hundreds of AAP workers. The AAP volunteers raised slogans against Badal family and demanded a probe into the sources of money spent on constructing the resort.Kanwar Sandhu AAP dialogue committee chairman while addressing the dharna said that the resort constructed by Sukhbir Badal was in fact a ‘Lutt Mehal’ made with the money looted from people of Punjab. He said that while state has been facing economic crunch due to financial mismanagement, the Badal family had multiplied their wealth and left the poor people in lurch. “AAP government would confiscate the Lutt Vilas resort, he declared.Kanwar Sandhu who is also AP candidate from Kharar Said that residents of the villages around Badals resort in village Palanpur were forced to sell their land by the revenue authorities working under political influence. He said that Rs.29 crores from public exchequer was misused to construct a road that leads to resort.
Sukhbir Badal had also made the layout of roads in Mohali so as to make direct access from the Mohali airport to his resort.Sandhu said that Sukhbir Badal managed to involve Oberoi group to own the Resort in which he (Sukhbir) and his wife and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal have majority stakes. He said that one night fare of a villa in Sukhbir's resort is Rs.5 lakhs and a room is available for Rs.35000 per night. He said that such a luxury was not meant for people of Punjab. He said that resort was a monument of brazen ‘loot’ of people by Badal family.Jassi Jasraj said that while farmers all over Punjab were committing suicide, the unemployed educated youth is climbing on water tanks for jobs and forced to commit self-immolation, the teachers are hounded by police, Sukhbir Badal was busy building his luxury resort. He said that Sukhbir Badal had promised moon to people of state and completely ruined their future with drugs. He said that Badal family and Bikram Majithia had promoted and shielded drug mafia and mining mafia in the state.Adv. Dinesh Chaddha said that the resort was set up in Siswan forest range in violation of environment and forest rules.
He said that green tribunal has already issued notice to Punjab Government to explain about the permissions granted for setting up the resort in forest area. He said that AAP government would not allow the resort to function the resort which is threat to environment and forestry. He said that commercial activities in this area were completely banned.Raghav Chadha blamed Badal family for promoting their transport business at the cost of public transport and pushed Punjab Roadways and PEPSU into losses. He said that Punjab Roadways and PEPSU Road Transport had suffered a loss of Rs.300 crores in last one year due to free pilgrimage to SAD workers. He said that Badals had a fleet of 500 buses and they had not sent even a single bus of their company.Chadha said that the AAP government would probe all the assents raised by Badal family during ten year rule and made them to face the law, he added.