State’s new PPP model: Govt jobs for private firm

The executive committee of the board headed by then Punjab Chief Secretary SC Agrawal in 2010 gave its approval to fill up seven posts in the board — three of AGMs/senior managers through deputation or direct appointment on contract,two (deputy controller and section officer) strictly through deputation and two (private secretary to managing director and clerk-cum-record keeper) through direct appointment on contract. While no effort was made to fill the first three posts through deputation,the two “deputation only” posts have not been filled at all.

Finally five posts— three “deputation or contract” posts for AGMs/senior managers,one for private secretary and one for clerk-cum record keeper — were advertised on August 29 to September 1,2010. After applications were received,technical advisor and selection committee member,RS Sandhu,who was on deputation to the board from the PWD (B&R) department wrote a dissenting note on October 1,2010. “From the documents,it is not clear whether the option of deputation,which should have been given preference,has been exercised or not. Also,in future to bring transparency in the evaluation process,merit criteria should be prepared before inviting applications.”

He also rejected all applications for the post of AGM (technical) on grounds of non-eligibility. Within four days,through a letter dated October 5,2010,Sandhu was shown the door.

“Since all projects are now under the optimum utilisation of vacant government lands (OUVGL) scheme,it is therefore proposed to replace the technical advisor with newly-appointed general manager RS Bal (projects and accounts) as the member of the selection committee,” said the letter signed by then PIDB MD SS Sandhu. While the dissenting member was shunted out,one of the remaining three members of the four-member screening panel was BD Dhiman,AGM (finance and accounts),an employee of Ascenture Management Services. The other two posts were held by Additional MD Shivdular Dhillon and GM Satinder Chugh.

While none of the applicants was found fit for the post of AGM (technical),the other four posts were filled. A total of 10 applications were received for AGM (Estates) and six for private secretary,just one candidate had the “right profile” to apply for post of senior manager (projects). No interview was held as all other applicants either “did not fulfil the eligibility criteria or did not supply supporting documents”. Finally,the three posts went to Ascenture employees already working for PIDB,Ravi Kant Yadav,Rajesh Gupta and Pradeep Kumar.

What followed their appointment was even more shocking. Their pay was protected by bringing it at par with what they were getting at Ascenture through “incentives”.

A noting dated January 4,2011 said,“Since these employees were working with Ascenture Management Sevices and drawing a higher salary,they would resent financial loss from pay scale of the PIDB. Therefore,it is decided to bring their pay scale at par with their earlier salary through incentives.”

After Sandhu left the board in November 2011,AG Miglani and later Anurag Aggarwal was appointed the MD of PIDB,which is headed by the CM.

When contacted,official reply of the PIDB was,“When there were two options,it is up to the board to exercise the option of deputation or direct appointment by contract. Sandhu was replaced by newly-appointed general manager RS Bal as the member of the selection committee as none of the posts filled were of technical nature. All rules of government recruitments were followed and applications were invited. All the three employees of Ascenture were selected on merit.”