The common public across state faced huge inconvenience Tuesday as the Punjab Civil Services (PCS) officers, revenue officials and clerical staff across government offices continued with their strike and remained on mass casual leave for the second consecutive day. The offices of deputy commissioners, civil secretariats, divisional commissioners and revenue offices wore a deserted look. People, including senior citizens, who travelled in the biting cold, especially from rural areas, to district headquarters to get their work done were seen returning empty handed. The PCS Officers Association on Monday proceeded on mass casual leave till January 13 in protest against the arrest of their colleague Narinder Singh Dhaliwal, secretary, Regional Transport Authority (RTA), Ludhiana, who was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau on January 6 in a corruption case. At least 235 PCS officers across Punjab are now on mass casual leave. The union will be announcing their next course of action on January 14. People who came to collect their driving licences or appear in a driving test at the automated driving test centre on college road of Ludhiana were also a harried lot. Supporting the PCS Officers Association, the clerical staff across deputy commissioner (DC) offices, divisional commissioner offices and revenue officers (tehsildars, kanugos, naib tehsildars) have also proceeded on five-day mass casual leave till January 13. The excise and taxation department employees were also on one-day leave Tuesday. Till now, the employee unions which have announced their support for the PCS officers' strike include Punjab State District (DC) Offices Employees Union, Divisional Commissioners Office Employees Association and Punjab Revenue Officers' Association. Gurnam Singh Virk, president, Punjab State District (DC) Offices Employees Union, said at least 2,200 clerical employees in DC offices across Punjab will be on mass casual leave from January 9 to 13 in support of the PCS officers. "This includes staff in DC offices, SDM offices, tehsil and sub-tehsil offices," said Virk. Common people, meanwhile, expressed that mass leave by PCS officers and other staff in government offices was completely unjustified. "If there is an issue between the government and officers, why should people pay for it? If one officer has been arrested, how can the entire staff be allowed to proceed on leave? I travelled all the way from Mullanpur to Ludhiana to collect some documents from the DC office but here it has been written at the entrance that there will be no work till January 13. How fair is this?" asked Balbir Singh, a senior citizen. People who came to collect their driving licences or appear in a driving test at the automated driving test centre on college road of Ludhiana were also a harried lot. "If someone has been arrested for corruption, how can the entire staff proceed on leave? There is no one inside and the centre is locked. Why can't they let the law take its course instead of harassing the common man? Is it easy to come to government offices daily leaving all other work?" questioned Anand Kumar. The PCS Officers Association, which held a meeting with CM Bhagwant Mann Monday, announced its members would not resume work till all their demands were not met - including immediate release of arrested officer Narinder Singh Dhaliwal, registration of FIR, arrest and suspension of vigilance officials "who framed PCS officer Tarsem Chand in Faridkot", issuance of SOP for inquiries against officers and review of all inquiries lodged by the vigilance against government officers from all departments. Meanwhile, a local court in Ludhiana sent Dhaliwal in 14-day judicial remand. Under pressure after the protest from PCS officers across state, the vigilance did not seek further extension in his remand. Ludhiana vigilance SSP Ravinderpal Singh Sandhu however said that Dhaliwal was interrogated for three days which was enough. A 2014-batch PCS officer, Dhaliwal is accused of collecting lakhs of rupees as bribes every month from transporters on the pretext of not issuing them challans for any violations while crossing the Ludhiana district. The union, however, claims the officer was arrested "illegally without following due procedure".
