Chandigarh airport must not become another hawala channel - 20/07/2009
CHANDIGARHQila Raipur MLA Jassi Khangura today cautioned against the possible misuse of international flights from the Chandigarh airport, which are likely to begin soon, by the politicians keen to stash away their ill gotten money to foreign countries.
In a letter addressed to the Director General, Central Industrial Security Force, Khangura said, the ruling politicians in Punjab have amassed huge sums of money which they would be keen to shift to other countries. He cautioned, “I feel concerned that the huge sums of black money that have been accumulated by the ruling political alliance partners in Punjab might be rushed away from India using these flights”.
The Qila Raipur MLA pointed out, it is a known fact that Punjab remains one of the most corrupt states in the country. “That the current Punjab administration has broken all corruption records surprises no one”, he remarked, while adding, “it is common knowledge that corruption permeates every part of the administration, its tentacles reaching to every city, town and village, from where it is funneled to the powers that be in Chandigarh and much of this cash ends up being invested overseas”.
Hence, he added, there is a dire need to ensure that all ‘checked in’ baggage on these flights is thoroughly checked.
He suggested, the CISF at Chandigarh Airport must start planning now to ensure that adequate measures are implemented to prevent the smuggling out of cash before international flights start.
He asserted, this is a serious issue because like the drug and land grabbing trades, the hawala trade too enjoys political patronage in Punjab. “The frequent seizures of cash at the major Indian international airports firmly indicate that Chandigarh may be no different”, he pointed out.
Khangura said, the Chandigarh Airport is also likely to be used by private jets, many of which are owned by the companies having a close association with the ruling alliance in Punjab, and particularly with the ruling family. “Under no circumstance should these private aircrafts be exempt from your exhaustive search procedures”, he asked the CISF.
He hoped, the CISF will act urgently on the issue to deny the corrupt politicians and the hawala operators an additional route, particularly as Punjab being a border state needs to be extra vigilant as foreign influence is at play in these cash transactions.
