M A I N   N E W S

Work takes back seat as most Punjab ministers stay away from secretariat
Varinder Singh & Sanjeev Singh Bariana
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 28
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal may have pulled up Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) for their absence from their offices but he seems to have overlooked his own “prolonged absence” and that of most of his senior Cabinet colleagues from their offices in the Punjab Secretariat.

During a surprise check conducted by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on Monday, 18 DCs and 22 SSPs were found absent. Interestingly, the Chief Minister attended his office today after a gap of 10 days. Badal has now decided to attend his office every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for “quick and effective disposal” of official work and meet those who visit his office.

Badal has asked his Cabinet colleagues to be present in their offices during these days.

A visit to the Punjab Civil Secretariat by The Tribune reporter and photographer today found a number of his senior ministers absent from their offices. This was barely a day after the CM’s directions to the DCs and the SSPs to be present in their offices.

Most of the CM’s Cabinet colleagues have been making “rare appearances” at their offices in the secretariat for some time.

The Chief Minister, who has directed the DCs and SSPs to attend their offices between 9 and 5 pm daily and asked various heads of department to be present in their offices on the three designated days, has preferred to keep mum on “absenteeism” by his ministerial colleagues.

The Tribune team found that none of his senior colleagues, including Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, Technical Education and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madan Mohan Mittal, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon, Education Minister Sikander Singh Malooka, Forest Minister Bhagat Chuni Lal, Animal Husbandry Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike, Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Local Bodies’ Minister Anil Joshi, Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Transport Minister Ajit Singh Kohar, was present in their offices.

Inquiries revealed that Dhindsa has gone abroad for about a week. Sukhbir has been seen rarely in his office in the past 15 days. He is said to be busy mostly in Delhi. The CM and the Deputy CM have been calling senior officers to New Delhi for important meetings.

Officials of the Punjab Secretariat revealed that BJP minister Bhagat Chuni Lal “was not seen for over 20-25 days”. Majithia has been been “abstaining” from work for over one month. One staff official revealed that Ranike had not been seen in the Secretariat for the past about two months. Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Sikander Singh Malooka and Ajit Singh Kohar were a few Cabinet ministers who have been attending their offices more or less regularly. Adesh Pratap attended his office briefly in the morning.

Meanwhile, the CM has reiterated his “firm commitment” of the state government to provide “prompt and hassle-free delivery of services” to the general public. Badal has asked all the officers to attend their offices from 9 am to 5 pm on all working days. Badal has directed them to maintain decorum and punctuality to gain confidence of the people.