M A I N   N E W S

175 got SGPC jobs a day before Tohra took over
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 29
A day before the appointment of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra as SGPC chief, acting President of the SGPC, Mr Alwinder Pal Singh Pakhoke appointed 175 employees on “temporary basis”. Mr Pakhoke remained acting chief of the SGPC for four days after Mr Kirpal Singh Badungar stepped down as SGPC chief to pave the way for Mr Tohra.

Mr Tohra has summoned the entire record on the appointments at Patiala tomorrow. The appointments were made without requisition. No manager from any Sikh shrine had made demand for temporary appointments. The manager Darbar Sahib, Muktsar, had reportedly written to the SGPC that there was “surplus staff” which could be shifted.

At least 70 persons have already joined duty before Mr Tohra took over charge. Remaining appointees have been asked to wait.

The SGPC sources said most of the employees appointed by Mr Pakhoke belong to Tarn Taran Tehsil. Earlier, Mr Badungar had also appointed 200 employees on ad hoc/temporary basis during his stint as SGPC chief.

The matter is likely to be taken up at the forthcoming executive committee meeting of the SGPC proposed to be held here on August 5.