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Badal orders
probe
Taking cognisance of The Tribune reports, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday ordered an inquiry into allegations of malpractices in the recruitment of doctors by the PPSC. Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal has been asked to conduct a probe and submit his report within 30 days. |
Chandigarh, March 8
In what may be called as a perfect example of the powered and moneyed people making best use of their influence, the “pre-selected” doctors who undertook Punjab Public Service Commission’s test for government jobs reportedly bragged about their positions much before the merit list was out. And interestingly, while the daughter of a judge made it to the first merit list, his son-in-law’s name figuired in the second.
An investigation by The Tribune has revealed that several “backdoor channels” were active for ensuring a seat in PPSC’s final list and that lakhs were doled out by those desperate to get their wards into the Punjab Civil Medical Service.
A rejected candidate said: “As I sat in my car after my interview, a person approached me with an offer to get my work done for Rs 10 lakh.” Another girl said: “After my interview, I was asked by an employee at the PPSC to meet a particular member at his residence but I refused.”
Not only this, “pre-selected” candidates bragged about even knowing their positions in the merit list on the day of their interviews, some rejected candidates have alleged, adding other bragged about having gotten a
bit cheap deal. “There were persons who had offers ranging from Rs 12 lakh to Rs 15 lakh for a seat. Only a handful managed to get a rate less than Rs 10 lakh,” a candidate said.
Other than those who allegedly bought a seat for their wards, the state’s high and mighty also figure prominently in the list of successful candidates. The list of first 100 doctors included the name of the daughter of a then sitting High Court judge. The name of her father prefixed with “Justice” figured in the certificates she attached with the papers submitted to the PPSC, it has been found.
Among the top five in the list was the sister of a sessions judge. She had scored 57.4 per cent in her MBBS from a private college in Amritsar. “I was shocked to see her name among the PPSC toppers. She and another top ranker of PPSC were my students. There were other students too in my class who had applied and deserved to be in the list,” a professor in the college said.
The wife of another judicial officer also figures in the list. She had scored 55.4 per cent marks and took six attempts to pass instead of three. The top five also include the son of an IAS officer who is now retired but was in service when his son was interviewed. He scored 58 per cent marks from a government medical college where he took six-and-a-alf years to clear his MBBS. Another seat in the first lot also went to the wife of an IAS officer who was then posted as the Deputy Commissioner, Patiala.
The second lot of 212 seats included the son-in-law of the Judge whose daughter figured in the first list. Going by the address in the application forms, this list also includes the son of another High Court Judge. He had scored 67 per cent marks in his MBBS from a private medical college in Haryana. This judge is also said to have approached the health department not only for an extension in the joining period for his son, but also for a posting near Chandigarh.
Relatives of two serving ministers, one of the Akalis and the other BJP, also figure in the list. The daughter of a senior IPS officer was also selected. The addresses in the forms show that wives of two SSPs were among the top 10 in the second list. Both, however, had MD degrees and had also scored well in their MBBS. The wife of another IAS officer also made it to the top 60 of this list. She had scored 62.88 per cent marks in her MBBS, which she did from Rajasthan.
Two close relatives of in-service civil surgeons posted in the state have also made it to the list, as also the relatives of two retired civil surgeons, besides the relatives of two former MPs.
(To be concluded)
