Bhangewali (Muktsar), August 23
In a significant step which could put previous ruling politicians and their “loyalists” bureaucrats and other officials into trouble, the Punjab Government today decided to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the misutilisation of all kinds of grants and funds released by the previous SAD-BJP combine government for development and non-development works during its five-year rule.
Disclosing this here today, Capt Amarinder Singh, who visited various drought-affected pockets in this area, said earlier, the Punjab Government was holding an inquiry into the misutilisation of those funds which were released to various government agencies, panchayats and other bodies by the former Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, during his sangat darshans. Now the base of inquiry had been widened.
The Chief Minister pointed out that what necessitated the Punjab Government to take this step was the fact that every day complaints in connection with the misutilisation of all kinds of grants by officials and elected representatives had been pouring in his office. Apart from it, he had also been receiving similar complaints wherever he went to meet the people in the state.
Already a number of sarpanches, panchayat department officials and other officials of state government have been facing the music for their alleged involvement in misutilisation of government funds and grants. Today, a number of farmers, panchayat members and sarpanches complained to the Chief Minister that though the grants were released for development works in
their respective villages, some selected few, who wielded influence in previous government had “eaten up” the same.
“After all the money belongs to the government and then why anybody who is involved in irregularities should be spared,” the Chief Minister said.
He pointed out that the Deputy Commissioners would collect information pertaining to the funds received by each and every state government department during the SAD-BJP government. The Deputy
Commissioners would inquire about the fact that whether the grants and funds had been properly utilised or misutilised. They would send a comprehensive report to the Chief Minister’s office and then on the basis of that report action would be taken against the guilty.
“The money will be taken back from the guilty without taking his or her status into consideration and they will be made to face consequences as per law of the land. We want to get to the bottom of misuse of funds”, claimed the Chief Minister.
He also pointed out that all Deputy Commisioners had been directed to find out whether the kin of the Army personnel belonging to Punjab, who had laid down their lives during the flushing out intruders in Kargil and after that while fighting militancy in Jammu and Kashmir had been given adequate compensation or not. He added that if any such kin had not been given compensation, the Punjab Government would do the same at the earliest.
