Councillors demand probe into MC ‘recruitment scam’

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 21

Two councillors — Pardeep Kumar Gola and Sukhwinder Kaur — have written to the Mayor, Balwant Rai Nath, demanding a high-level probe into an alleged recruitment scam in the Municipal Corporation (MC), Bathinda.

It has been allegedly said relatives of various officials working with the civic body on many posts were given jobs in place of eligible candidates.

Pardeep Gola contested the last MC poll as an Independent candidate while Sukhwinder Kaur contested the elections on the SAD ticket but during the Assembly elections, she joined the Congress.

They have also sought details of all recruitments that took place in the civic body during the last two years.

The councilors have also demanded a written reply on the issue at the House budget meeting, which is expected to be held next week. They have asked how many posts had been filled in the past two years, procedure followed during new recruitment and how many relatives of the employees working with the civic body had got job.

It is expected that the councillors will strongly raise the issue during the Zero Hour at the House budget meeting.

The Secretary of the Local Bodies Department, who is also the CEO of the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company, had written a letter and directed the corporation to fill three posts under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Of the three posts, relatives of MC employees were recruited on the two posts and one remained vacant.

Bathinda (Urban) Congress president Mohan Lal Jhumba stated that he would take up the matter with Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu in the coming days.

He said during the SAD-BJP government, common and deserving persons were ignored and relatives of the employees got jobs.

The Mayor, Balwant Rai Nath, said, “There is nothing wrong in the recruitment process. I am ready for any probe. What is wrong if the relative of an employee or officer gets a job on merit after qualifying the eligibility criteria?”

Most of the Congress councillors have demanded a probe into the issues, claiming these are serious allegations, which need to be probed.