Punjab probe lifts lid off largest job scam

An internal probe by Punjab’s Department for Local Bodies has said the recruitment process for over 400 departmental posts ‘‘...

An internal probe by Punjab’s Department for Local Bodies has said the recruitment process for over 400 departmental posts ‘‘smacked of questionable arbitrariness’’ and ‘‘violated norms at every stage’’. It recommended they be sacked. The list includes 54 executive officers, 26 engineers, 55 junior engineers, 197 inspectors, and 39 draftsmen appointed in the last two years.

The recruitment scam, first reported by The Indian Express in February 2000, had caused a split in the BJP’s Punjab unit leading to suspension of two MLAs who went public.

Allegations by Satpal Gosain and Jagdish Sahni, against the department headed by senior BJP leader and No. 2 in Akali Dal-BJP Cabinet Balramji Dass Tandon, had led to their suspension, though they were reinstated later.

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Gosain had then termed it the biggest recruitment scam in the state. The report was prepared after Local Bodies Minister Chaudhry Jagjit Singh promised to look into recruitments made during Tandon’s tenure.

The departmental report apparently corroborates the news report that candidates were appointed far in excess of vacancies. Whereas only 18 posts of executive officers were advertised, this was later increased to 34. Some 43 were issued appointment letters, while a further nine were appointed again. In all 52 executive officers were appointed against 34 posts.

The story was repeated in Improvement Trusts, where against four advertised posts, seven were appointed and thereafter three more were added. In total, 62 persons were appointed as executive officers against 34 posts advertised. The report terms this as a denial of opportunity to all those who became eligible between March 1998 and November 2001.

Similarly 13 draftsmen and one head draftsman were recruited in excess of advertised posts. No interview letters were issued, says the report. Two people were issued appointment letters against Nagar Councils. No mention was made in the advertisement. Selection was made on the basis of the marks obtained in the interview and marks in written tests were not added in the final result.

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In case of Executive Officers (Grade III), 45 appointments were made against 34 posts. This also led to denial of opportunity to Department officers who were due for promotion. Some 12 candidates have been issued appointment letters for the same post, though their names did not figure in the result or in the waiting list.

The report also states ‘‘the undertaking given before the High Court of publishing all results or the written examination and the interview in local newspapers was not implemented by the Department in letter and spirit for obvious reasons’’.

The Department did not issue interview letters which led to 33 candidates, including masters and bachelor degree holders in Civil Engineering, missing the interviews.

The report also deals with some specific cases, like that of Suraj Bhan, who was appointed though he was above 40 years of age, the upper age limit for recruitment.