Ready for probe: Maluka

Interestingly,Maluka had met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal barely hours before addressing the press conference.

Putting the entire blame on the two committees that he had constituted for the alleged irregularities in the purchase of library books,Maluka said probes being conducted by Principal Secretary (School Education) Anjali Bhawra will fix responsibility for the entire process and those found guilty will not be spared. When pointed out that he was among the suspects in the alleged scam,Maluka said he was ready for a probe by an independent agency and insisted had nothing to hide.

When told that he had chosen to give the work of buying library books to the “purchase” committee that had been tainted in the issue of choosing firms for the supply of practical notebooks,Maluka claimed he had already taken action in the matter of library books. “We have disbanded all purchase committees and withdrawn the said books,” he said.

He,however,added that out of the Rs 9.28 crore that was to be spent on the supply of these library books,only Rs 22 lakh had been spent. These books had been supplied only to 474 schools in Hoshiarpur and Ropar. “We stopped the supply before the whole money could be spent,” said Maluka.

Referring to a fresh controversy involving the buying of science kits for government schools,Maluka squarely denied that any orders to buy science kits had been issued.

However,according to orders issued by the office of the Director Public Instruction (Elementary) Prithpal Kaur (a copy of which is with The Indian Express),754 science kits are to be supplied to government schools for use of Classes VI to XII. The undated orders name four firms,all from Ambala,which will supply of these kits. Each kit costs almost Rs 1 lakh.

When told that these kits had already been supplied by the companies and was lying in the library of Government Senior Secondary School at Mohali’s Phase 3B1 for supply to other schools,Maluka said: “Anyone can go and deliver something in a government school. I am not responsible.”

Asked about his daughter-in-law — an employee of the rural development and panchayats department — being appointed on a key post in Sarv Sikhya Abhiyaan,Maluka said: “She was taken on deputation. There are employees of the cooperative department who are taken on deputation in education department. Then why not from the panchayat department?”

Reacting to the demand of his resignation by Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa,Maluka said the Opposition was in a habit of demanding resignations. “They should demand similar probes into scams of the UPA government in Delhi,” he added.