Hindustan Times (Bathinda)

Govt not letting us function: Haryana women panel chief

Kamlesh, appointed by previous Cong regime, accuses govt of political rivalry

- HT Correspond­ent letterschd@hindustant­imes.com Haryana women commission chairperso­n Kamlesh Panchal addressing mediaperso­ns in Rohtak on Tuesday.

ROHTAK: Haryana State Commission for Women chairperso­n Kamlesh Panchal on Tuesday levelled serious allegation­s against the BJP government of not letting them work due to political rivalry.

Panchal was appointed by the Congress during former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s regime.

During a press conference, Panchal said they have been running the commission on their own money without any help from the government for the past three months.

“The government has taken away the official vehicle from us so I’m forced to travel on my personal car. We haven’t even received our honorarium from the past one year,” she said.

“The commission has a mandate to appoint 25 employees, but we have just four because the government does not pay them. There’s no driver, peon or helper. We can’t hold meetings because the government does not book halls anywhere,” Panchal added.

The chairperso­n and vicechairp­erson of the commission were removed by BJP government last year before the completion of their tenure. The two had approached the Punjab and Haryana high court, which gave its ruling in their favour and reinstated them in their position. They have now accused the government of neglecting them.

“The government acts like they’ve got a stay on the high court ruling which re-instated us. I have written to the chief secretary, principal secretary and everyone else. I even approached the chief minister with the complaint. But no one is ready to respond. It’s clear they are doing this out of political rivalry,” Panchal said.

The commission chairperso­n met Olympian Sakshi Malik at her residence and congratula­ted her for winning bronze medal

The government has taken away the official vehicle from us, so I’m forced to travel in my personal car. We haven’t even received our honorarium for the past one year. KAMLESH PANCHAL, Haryana State Commission for Women chairperso­n

 ?? MANOJ DHAKA/HT ??
MANOJ DHAKA/HT

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