Dehra Dun, May 7
Uttarakhand cadre IAS officer Dr S.S. Sandhu’s second stint in Punjab on deputation is on the cards as the state government has sent an NoC to the union government for the purpose. The move follows a written request by Punjab Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.
Notably, it was Badal who had brought Dr Sandhu to Punjab during the previous tenure of the SAD-BJP government. But buckling under pressure from the BJP and other saffron leaders, Badal ordered on the spot removal of this officer from the post of municipal commissioner, Ludhiana, on the issue of the removal of a temple encroachment. Apparently, Badal took the step with an eye on Assembly election. Dr Sandhu’s removal, however, created public uproar as he had done a lot for Ludhiana’s development as municipal commissioner.
Sources said this time Badal was trying to bring in highly capable bureaucrat Dr Sandhu for a larger purpose to send a pro-SAD message across the industry, especially after the alliance partner BJP started indulging in political arm twisting.
Dr Sandhu enjoys a very good reputation in Ludhiana, the industrial hub of the state, as an able administrator. So this in a way could also be helpful in taming the BJP influence in the industry and trade, said sources.
As the SAD has promised a number of steps in its manifesto for the development of the trade and industry, Dr Sandhu is likely to be given an important assignment in the industry department. “All I can say is that Dr Sandhu will be in the driver’s seat as he is a man of great ideas and an able administrator,” an Akali cabinet minister told The Tribune.
