‘Govt trying to fill PPSC posts in violation of rules’
CHANDIGARH: Leader of opposition in Punjab assembly, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, on Thursday accused the Capt Amarinder Singh government of behaving in an “autocratic manner” in making appointments to constitutional posts in Punjab Public Service Commission and Information Commission in the state.
The AAP leader said the gov- ernment wanted him to put his signatures to appointment of six members in the PPSC and two state information commission- ers who were being appointed without following the proper laid down procedure, but he refused. “I am not a rubberstamp and will not do anything illegal. The government must convene an official meeting of the committee comprising the chief minister, the speaker and the leader of opposition,” he told reporters at a press conference.
Khaira said he first got a call from chief secretary Karan Avtar Singh and then a special secretary, personnel, came to him two days ago with a file containing the names of eight persons including some retired IAS and IPS officers, a former journalist and a Congress worker, for these posts.
“He said the the names had been cleared by the chief minister and the speaker and I should also approve them. When I asked him about the criteria adopted to shortlist the names and the procedure followed, he failed to give a satisfactory reply,” he said.
Asking the government come clean on the process followed, Khaira said the state government had received 150 applications for these posts, but there was no information on whether any screening or search committee was constituted and whether interviews were held or just personal hearings were given.
The leader of opposition has written a letter to the chief secretary asking him furnish details of criteria, rules and procedure adopted by the government to make these hurried appointments.
On the Punjab and Haryana high court order setting aside the appointment of Suresh Kumar, a retired IAS officer, as the chief principal secretary to chief minister, Khaira said it was a slap in the face of the state government.
“The state has a top-heavy bureaucracy, but still inducted a retired official in violation of rules to run the administration,” he said, asking the chief minister to relook at appointments of official and non-official advisers.