SDO’s suspension: Officials stall work on Day 2

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 26

The issue of the Municipal Corporation of Bathinda recommending the suspension of SDO Rajinder Kumar on the complaint by councillor Pardip Gola continued to haunt Mayor Balwant Rai Nath for the second consecutive day on Thursday as MCB officials went on with their pen-down strike.

They began the protest outside the gate of the MCB against the Mayor for giving in to the demand by Gola and sending a report to the Local Bodies Department recommending the suspension of the SDO.

They demanded that the report be recalled and the recommendation be cancelled.

They threatened that till the time their demands were not heeded, their protest would continue and they would stall all work. The workers were soon joined by the officers of the corporation.

During the general house meeting conducted recently, the councillor had accused the SDO of ignoring his repeated complaints against construction of illegal ramps and had asked the former to submit a written complaint.

Giving in to the councillor’s demand of suspending the SDO, the Mayor had sent the recommendation for the same to the Local Bodies Department.

Meanwhile, officers added that this was not for the first time that the councillor had targeted an MCB officer.

They said about three years ago, Gola had misbehaved with an SDO and JE of the Sewerage Board and a case was about to be registered against him but he ‘requested’ for a compromise.

They added that Gola had also accused the then SE BD Singla of corruption, but had to retract from his allegation and regret his statement.

The officials said such baseless behaviour against MCB officers would not be tolerated.