CM returns from US; cracks whip on officials

Chandigarh : Within hours of his returning to India, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal spent the day putting the house in order and reactivating the government machinery. He cracked the whip and sent out signals to all “absentee” officers and politicians to get back to work. He himself conducted several important meetings throughout the day, including one on cleaning of Punjab river waters, enquired about the status of water supply and sewerage projects under execution in various towns of the state. Taking a cue from The Tribune report on how the bureaucrats and politicians were vacationing in the absence of the Chief Minister and his deputy, leaving the state to its fate, the Chief Minister issued instructions that all officers, unless on leave, must remain present in their offices. In the afternoon, the Chief Minister chaired a meeting for the setting up of a sports school at Bathinda and for the establishment of National Cadet Corps (NCC) centres at Ropar and Malout. He also cleared a file that has promoted his Principal Secretary DS Guru and three other officers, Kusumjit Sidhu, AR Talwar and Himmat Singh, to the Chief Secretary grade.

Once Badal was told about the delay in the release of funds for development by the Centre, he immediately called up Montek Singh Ahlluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, and requested for the release of funds under Additional Central Assistance (ACA). Perturbed over the lethargy that has crept into the government in his absence, he has convened a meeting on December 23, where he has asked for the attendance of MLAs, Chairmen and officers of Municipal Corporations/Improvement Trust of Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Moga, Hoshiarpur and Pathankot. At this meeting, he will review the situation concerning the availability of funds and status of the projects. So far the Chief Minister has not moved out of his house, except for travelling abroad. All meetings, even today, took place at his Sector 2 official residence. After a series of meetings tomorrow morning, the Chief Minister is scheduled to leave for Lambi (his own constituency) that he will be visiting for the first time after he fell and broke his ribs in October this year. So far, his brother and father of Manpreet Badal was managing the Lambi constituency, but after Manpreet and the Badals fell apart, the Chief Minister and his brother have not met or spoken to each other. Though unlikely, but there is a slight possibility that the two may meet during this visit.