The Punjab government on Tuesday transferred 16 IAS officers and 13 PCS officers with immediate effect and there are rumblings that two of the officers were transferred after the government received “serious complaints” against them for their alleged involvement in tenders.
Ludhiana MC IAS Shena Agrawal has been given the charge of special secretary, social security and women and child development, while her husband Sanyam Aggarwal has been posted as special secretary, agriculture and farmers welfare. Allegations have also been made against IAS Aditya Dachalal, Additional Commissioner, of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation for holding back the complaint and not taking action. A complaint received in the Chief Secretary’s office was directed to the secretary of the local government to look into the case.
Further, in the letter, it was alleged that the Municipal Corporation Ludhiana incurred a large amount of loss after awarding two tenders worth Rs 22.83 crore. The complaint was submitted by M/s WAH Kong Construction India Pvt. Ltd in JV with Ashwath Infratech Pvt. Ltd and Shristi Sam Lain Yogi JV. The allegations made in the complaint are “very serious in nature” sources in the administration have said.
Given the seriousness and gravity of the allegations, the responsible officers are directed to call for the complete record of the case, hear the complainants, personally inquire into the complaint, and submit their inquiry report within a week. The Daily Guardian spoke to the Chief Secretary Punjab Anurag Verma regarding this, he said that he received the complaint against the aforesaid bureaucrat. “I have called for an investigation report from the government and action will be taken against the involved bureaucrats as and when the report is received.” Earlier, he had said that as far as the recent transfers were concerned, it was “routine work and had nothing to do with the complaints”. However, senior officers of the Punjab Government told The Daily Guardian that both husband and wife bureaucrats had been transferred and given such posts where they both could not get involved in any tenders.
