Questions raised over transfers of bureaucrats who differ with Punjab Government

Tribune News Service

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, January 22

The recent transfers of officers, particularly who have differed with the state government on official matters, have raised a question mark.

Underlining the government intentions, the action against officers continues even after a near revolt by them against the nomination of one of their colleagues in the PSIEC land allotment scam.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had then promised that an immediate report would be sought from the Chief Secretary to know if all procedures were followed in naming of the 2008-batch IAS officer as an accused, however, no report has been submitted yet.

A day after the roll out of the government’s all important “Schools of Eminence” project yesterday, the orders to transfer School Education Director General Varinder Kumar Sharma were issued, that too on a Sunday, otherwise a holiday.

His transfer too has raised many eyebrows in the public and the Opposition as he remained on this post only for three months.

This transfer comes a day after the rather unceremonious transfer of 1999-batch IAS officer Ajoy Sharma from the Health Department, allegedly after he refused to release advertisements to publicise the Aam Aadmi clinics.

Though sources close to the officer maintain that he was transferred for refusing to use Rs 30 crore for publicising the Aam Aadmi Clinics in a southern state, sources in the top brass of the government say that the money (about Rs 50 crore) was earmarked for publicity, and the officer was asked to use it as the end of the fiscal was nearing.

He has not been given a new posting, and he has sought a central deputation.

“This year, we have earmarked money to various departments for publicity of their respective schemes, in the Budget itself. The Administrative Secretary of each department is to use this money for running publicity campaigns,” added a senior officer in the Public Relations Department. Earlier, the then Principal Secretary Public Relations Department, Gurkirat Kirpal, too, was transferred after he reportedly refused to sign on release order for certain advertisements.

Interestingly, two other senior IAS officers – the then Chief Secretary Anirudh Tiwari and Additional Chief Secretary Sarvjit Singh (Agriculture) were transferred out after they failed to toe the line of the ruling party in matters of protocol and policy-making for crop diversification. The then Principal Secretary Mines and Geology, Krishan Kumar, too, was transferred from the department, allegedly after he objected to the operation of certain mines for minor minerals, after a court order that had banned mining.

Row over ad spend

The other states too give advertisements in the media here. What is wrong in propagating a welfare scheme and its positive impact in a news organisation out of Punjab. — V K Janjua, Chief Secretary

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