Five panchayat secys, sarpanch suspended
MUKTSAR: Punjab rural development and panchayats department has suspended five panchayat secretaries in Lambi panchayat village in the Malout block for failing to hand over record to designated officials, even after transfer.
MUKTSAR : Punjab rural development and panchayats department has suspended five panchayat secretaries in Lambi panchayat village in the Malout block for failing to hand over record to designated officials, even after transfer.
The secretaries are Lal Chand, Sukhjeet Singh, Raj Singh, Sikander Singh and Harjinder Singh.
Sources claimed that their reluctance to hand over record is linked to alleged irregularities in fund use of lakhs of rupees that the previous SAD-BJP chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had given to Ratta Tibba, Kolyanwali, Srawan Bodla, Aspala, Kabarwala, Bhagwan Pura, Bhuleria and Gurusar Yodha villages in Lambi over their entire two terms.
Confirming these suspensions, district development and panchayat officer Arun Sharma said, “Five secretaries have been suspended due to their attitude of not providing records even after the Malout block development and panchayat officer issued several notices to them to do this.”
Malout block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) Surjeet Kaur did not respond to queries over phone, but hung up claiming to be busy.
20 TREES FELLED; AKALI SARPANCH SUSPENDED
The rural development and panchayats department has also suspended an Akali sarpanch, Sukhwinder Singh, of Dhabwali Dhab village in Lambi.
This was after allegations surfaced that the sarpanch had felled 36 trees.
Later, an inquiry found that the sarpanch had misused his power and cut 20 trees in 2015 under the SAD-BJP regime , without passing any resolution in the panchayat. The sarpanch has been suspended under the Panchayati Raj Act, 1994.
›
The secretaries have been suspended due to their attitude for not providing records even after the Malout BDPO issued several notices to them.
ARUN SHARMA, district development and panchayat officer