Hindustan Times: Chandigarh: Sunday, 03 August 2014.
The Punjab
government has decided to initiate disciplinary action against a serving and
two retired IAS officers for improper use of Red Cross Society funds. These are
Vikas Garg, and retired officers KS Sidhu and Harkesh Singh Sidhu. This
information was provided in the Punjab and Haryana high court by the state
government in an ongoing case. The scandal had been exposed by Hindustan Times
in 2007.
Submitting
that the competent authority had taken a decision to initiate action against
the officers under the All-India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969,
and the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958, the
government informed the court, “The matter is under process.” The division
bench comprising acting chief justice Ashutosh Mohunta and justice HS Sidhu
directed the state government to file a status report by September 11.
The
impropriety found against Vikas Garg is that during his tenure as Patiala
deputy commissioner (DC), using Red Cross funds, a Toyota Innova vehicle worth
Rs. 10 lakh was purchased by raising loan against a fixed deposit receipt (FDR)
that was yet to mature.
During KS
Sidhu’s tenure as Gurdaspur DC, a payment of Rs. 1 lakh was made for a tele
phone installed at an MP’s New Delhi residence in January 2002. Similarly, a
Toyota Innova worth Rs. 10.5 lakh was purchased in June 2011 during Harkesh
Sidhu’s tenure as Kapurthala DC. The court was also apprised that IAS officer K
Siva Prasad had failed to submit an explanation till date regarding expenditure
of Rs. 1.7 lakh as reimbursement for his mobile phone bills from the Red Cross
funds. His file has been submitted to the competent authority for further
decision, the court has been told.
Also,
explanations from IAS officers SR Ladhar and Sarvjit Singh are under
consideration for some alleged infirmities. During Ladhar’s tenure as Sangrur
DC, monthly rent of a wedding hall (‘marriage palace’) was arbitrarily reduced.
However, when Sarvjit Singh was Sangrur DC, a petrol pump site was leased out
without any tendering process to a public sector company.
The state
government also informed the court that cases pertaining to IAS officer Anjali
Bhawra and now-retired IAS JR Kundal have been closed after examination.
Bhawra, then
Fatehgarh Sahib DC, had taken an advance of ` 62,000 from the Red Cross
Society, and the amount has been recouped to the society. Whereas, it was found
that during the tenure of JR Kundal as the DC of Rupnagar, irregular sale of
Red Cross land was made to a private organization, namely Hawks Club.
Exposing the
misuse, Hindustan Times published a series of reports in December 2007 based on
voluminous information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by NGO
Resurgence India.
The NGO then
approached the high court through a public interest litigation.
The HC
constituted committee comprising justice AL Bahri (retd) and justice RK Nehru
(retd) in March 2009 to look into the matter concerning Punjab, Haryana and
Chandigarh. The committee submitted number of reports highlighting
irregularities.
As for some
allegations against IAS officer Kumar Rahul, after considering the matter, he
has been directed to remain careful in future, the government has said.
.JPG)
.JPG)
