Bajwa twisted facts, sided with corrupt officials: Barinder Goyal

Attacking Goyal in the Assembly on Monday, Bajwa said, “On July 22, the Chief Engineer (Vigilance) of the Water Resources Department wrote to the Chief Engineer (Drainage), directing him to start reviewing the necessity of flood protection works, a process which had not even commenced at the site despite two-thirds of the monsoon season already having commenced.”

Bajwa also said, “Executive engineers from several districts admitted that no flood mitigation or drainage repair works had started in critical areas, including Shri Anandpur Sahib, Ropar, SAS Nagar, Patiala, Pathankot, and Ferozepur. These facts clearly expose the lies of Goyal and highlight the government’s negligence.”

Bajwa also pointed to letters sent by the Water Resources Department in late July “as proof of the administration’s unpreparedness”. The Principal Secretary of the department had written to all Deputy Commissioners on July 28, directing them to procure EC bags and Geo bags for flood protection, while a separate letter on July 27 instructed the Chief Engineer to arrange EC bags for Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts.

“If everything was completed by July 14 as claimed, why did these urgent instructions go out two weeks later?” Bajwa asked.

Goyal had claimed in the Assembly that all preparations were completed before July 14.

Bajwa alleged, “The functioning of Principal
 Secretary Krishan Kumar is such that his subordinates are demoralised. He has issued charge sheets to 8,000 employees of the department.”

Goyal on Wednesday clarified that the letter dated August 22, referred to by the LoP, was written by the Chief Engineer (Vigilance) of the department to the Chief Engineer (Drainage) to reassess certain flood protection works.

“This communication was an internal exercise of checks and balances to ensure judicious use of funds and quality control, especially since early monsoon showers had set in. The LoP deliberately presented it in a distorted manner,” said the minister.

The minister further explained that the letter cited by the Opposition pertained only to 35 works, which were ongoing at the onset of monsoon, whereas the department had already executed 924 works before the flood season. “The LoP, while quoting selectively, chose not to mention that these 35 works account for a mere 3.8 per cent of the total projects executed. This clearly shows his intent to create confusion by withholding the complete facts,” Goyal alleged.

Countering another allegation, the minister said the LoP incorrectly claimed that 8,000 employees of the department had been chargesheeted. “The actual figure is less than 750, out of a workforce of over 16,000. These charge sheets were issued in cases of corruption, misconduct, and a lackadaisical approach; some of these cases were recommended by the Vigilance Bureau in the notorious then Gurinder Singh contractor case.”

Highlighting instances of wrongdoing, Goyal said, “An officer in Amritsar was demoted after being caught favouring a particular contractor and even using his own laptop to fill tenders. Another officer illegally approved tenders after his transfer. A Gurdaspur officer posted in mining was dismissed after being caught red-handed accepting Rs 2.5 lakh in a bribe. Some officers were found pressuring contractors for bribes, while others deliberately failed to collect royalties as per rules, causing losses to the state exchequer.”

Goyal said instead of applauding the government’s “zero-tolerance” policy against corruption, the LoP chose to shield wrongdoers and question accountability measures. “The people of Punjab deserve to know why the LoP is so perturbed when the department acts tough against corrupt practices. It is rare that an Opposition leader openly sides with those who have been punished for serious corruption charges,” Goyal added.

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