Sidhu’s adviser ‘eased out’

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 19

Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has reportedly “dispensed with” the services of his adviser, retired bureaucrat Amar Singh. The latter had been calling the shots in the department, sources said.

Talking to The Tribune, Sidhu said he had not issued a formal order for sacking the adviser. “He had not been getting remuneration or salary from the government. He brought vast experience and I am thankful to him for having worked without remuneration for so long.”

Sources said Amar Singh was asked to quit after several complaints of misappropriation were levelled against the retired bureaucrat by officers in the department. He attended office last Monday.

When contacted, Amar Singh said no decision had been conveyed to him. “I was in Raikot from Tuesday to Thursday and was busy with a family affair on Friday. Today, I was asked by the Congress to visit Ludhiana, and that’s why I did not attend office,” he told The Tribune.

Sources said Amar Singh had become the first point of contact within the department for most officers, leading to “miscommunication” between the officers and the minister.