Chandigarh, December 10
To have a house to live in Chandigarh is a big deal. Big enough for a senior Punjab-cadre IAS officer who, when asked to evict a government house he was occupying unauthorisedly for over four years, managed a “substantive posting” in Chandigarh so that he could hold on to the accommodation.
Not only this, this officer, Mr Ashok Gupta, Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, was also slapped a fine of over Rs 8 lakh for illegal occupation of the house for all these years.
Following the orders posting him as Special Secretary (Wildlife) in Chandigarh, Mr Gupta is now the only DC in the state, if not the country, to hold the charge of the DC as an additional charge.
The posting, sources say, was managed only to allow him to retain his official
house. It was reportedly cleared by Chief Minister, Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh.
On December 1, Mr Gupta was posted as Special Secretary, Wildlife, Punjab. The post was earlier clubbed with Department of Forests and was being held by one person.
The post is now Mr Gupta's 'substantive post' and his order states that he will be "in addition" the Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana.
While the Chief Minister might not have given a serious thought to the fact that the post of DC assumes huge significance in view of the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state, and, therefore, should have been a full-fledged charge, the Election Commission of India might not treat the matter so lightly.
Sources say Mr Gupta held on to his Chandigarh house in Sector 16 unauthorisedly for over four-and-a-half-years.
He had got the house issued way back in 1988 when he was posted as SDM (Central), Chandigarh. Even the allotment of the house was questionable as Mr Gupta, then a PCS officer, was not entitled to a Type VII house, but still got it.
He remained stationed in Chandigarh till 2002, after which he was posted as Deputy Commissioner, Nawanshahr.
At this point, sources say, he should have given up possession of the house but he did not. Later, when he was posted as DC, Jalandhar, he still did not give up his house in Chandigarh.
But finally the long arm of the law caught up with Mr Gupta. Following
orders of the Supreme Court, the Chandigarh Administration was forced to take action against those occupying government houses illegally. It ordered Mr Gupta's eviction from the house and slapped a fine of over Rs 8 lakh on him for illegal occupation of the house for all these years.
Since the UT Administration rules do not allow allotment of a government house to state-cadre officers unless they have a substantive posting in Chandigarh, Mr Gupta was given the post of Additional Secretary (Wildlife), holding additional charge of DC, Ludhiana.
Mr Gupta was forced to shell out Rs 8.5 lakh as penalty. Moreover, he has been evicted from the Type VII house in Sector 16.
He has now been allotted a Type VIII house (lower category) in Sector 24, which is under repairs before he shifts.
Despite repeated attempts, Mr Gupta could not be reached for his comments.
