Skeletal staff hits govt functioning

S.A.S. NAGAR, April 7: With the tercentenary celebrations at Anandpur Sahib getting underway tomorrow, citizens visiting Punjab governmen...

S.A.S. NAGAR, April 7: With the tercentenary celebrations at Anandpur Sahib getting underway tomorrow, citizens visiting Punjab government offices in the S.A.S. Nagar sub-division of Roopnagar district say they find at best a skeletal staff catering to routine work.

However, officers dispute this perception. Additional Chief Administrator of the Punjab Urban Development and Planning Authority PUDA Seema Jain says that quot;regular work of the Estate Office has not been affectedquot; even though the township8217;s Estate Officer, P.S. Ghuman, has been detailed as duty magistrate at Anandpur.

While a regular visitor to the SDM8217;s office says, on the condition of anonymity, that the S.A.S. Nagar SDM is in Anandpur Sahib twice or thrice a week, the officer himself, O.P. Popli, denies that he has been deputed for duty at Anandpur. quot;I am monitoring visitors8217; boarding, lodging and security in S.A.S. Nagar and I regularly visit my office. Work has not been affected.quot; According to PUDA Executive Engineer Inderjit Kumar, they have been told to make arrangements to accommodate foreign visitors at Chandigarh. PUDA Superintending Engineer G.R. Jhaku says, quot;A special team from the PUDA head office, headed by the Chief Engineer, has been put on duty at Anandpur Sahib.quot;

According to Popli, the Roopnagar Deputy Commissioner wrote to the Punjab Chief Secretary requesting him to depute officers from outside the district for duty at Anandpur Sahib. As many as 29 PCS officers have been deputed at Anandpur Sahib; the Roopnagar DC and SSP are also camping there.

Meanwhile, apart from the S.A.S. Nagar office, the working of the Punjab government has also been affected, albeit temporarily. Most Cabinet ministers are busy with the celebrations and so are a significant number of bureaucrats.

Punjab Finance Minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh has been virtually camping at Anandpur Sahib being the head of the implementation committee. Information and Public Relations Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan is also busy with the preparations. The Chief Minister, too, has been frequenting the place almost daily. Some ministers and political leaders have been busy organising the five Khalsa marches from various destinations.

Apart from the officials of the Anandpur Sahib Foundation and the Anandpur Sahib Urban Development Authority ASUDA, a significant number of senior Punjab officials have been spending time at Anandpur Sahib. The daily quota of inaugurations 8212; hospital, media centre, Panj Piara Park 8212; too led to a number of bureaucrats spending time at Anandpur Sahib and not Chandigarh. Among the organisations whose officials have been busy at Anandpur Sahib are the Punjab State Industries and Export Corporation PSIEC, Punjab State Electricity Board PSEB, Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation PSIDC and the Punjab Tourism Development Corporation.

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However, the place most affected is Roopnagar, which has virtually shifted its camp office to Anandpur Sahib.