Beacon back faux pas: Search on for scapegoat

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 29

Even as the state government hastily withdrew the orders of allowing beacons on the vehicles of CM and his council of ministers claiming it was “erroneously” issued, the search is on for the “erring” officials. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has already sought a report from the Chief Secretary over the faux pas.

Instead of zeroing in on those responsible for putting up the “wrong” orders on the use of beacons, the government is trying to look for a “sacrificial lamb”, it is learnt.

Highly placed sources said after the Cabinet meeting, the officials concerned in the Cabinet branch of the Civil Secretariat instead of checking the contents of the order, adopted a cursory approach in dealing with the matter. As per practice, the minutes of the Cabinet meeting are put up by the Cabinet branch before the Chief Secretary prior to sending the minutes to the department concerned.

However, neither Chief Secretary Karan Avtar, nor the Secretary, General Administration, KAP Sinha, was available for comment.

In the order sent to the Additional Chief Secretary, Home, and Principal Secretary, Transport, the official concerned in the Cabinet branch, Department of General Administration, communicated that barring emergency vehicles and Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the CM, Cabinet Ministers and others had been debarred from using beacons.

Reacting to the erroneous order, the CM today again reiterated that there would be no change in his government’s red beacon policy as mandated in the Congress poll manifesto and ratified through a Cabinet decision. He said he had directed the Chief Secretary to immediately shift those responsible for the goof-up.