Haryana: Horticulture DG in the dock

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Hisar, June 12

The Haryana Government has ordered to chargesheet 10 officials, including the Director-General (D-G) and Additional Director of the Horticulture Department, besides the suspension of the four horticulture development officers (HDOs).

The action came after Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had interacted with farmers associated with the Farmers Producers Organisations (FPOs) during the e-Samvad programme on March 25.

Sources said the CM got “a whiff of corruption” when it came to light that grants released by the state government had not reached the beneficiary farmers during interaction with the farmers at the March 25 e-Samvad programme. Later, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) got to the bottom of the matter, after which the government decided to suspend four HDOs and decided to chargesheet 10 senior officials, including the Director-General Arjun Singh Saini, besides terminating the services of one contractual staff.

Sources said the Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture, and the Farmers Welfare Department had issued the orders to chargesheet the officials, including the D-G, Horticulture, Dr Arjun Singh Saini, Additional Director Ranbir Singh under Rule 8 of the Haryana Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) by initiating disciplinary action against them. In the same order, the ACS also ordered the chargesheet of the district horticulture officers (DHOs) Devi Lal of Bhiwani, Arun Sharma of Charkhi Dadri, Sarwan Kumar of Fatehabad and Kuldeep Singh of Hisar district.

The ACS, vide another letter, had ordered the suspension of Horticulture Development Officers (HDOs) Sunil Kumar, Manender, Reetika and Pankaj under Rule 7 of the HCS (Punishment and Appeal) on account of dereliction of duty.

Grants didn’t reach beneficiary farmers

The CM got ‘a whiff of corruption’ when it came to light that grants released by the govt had not reached the beneficiary farmers during interaction with the farmers at the March 25 e-Samvad programme. Later, the CID probed the matter, after which the govt decided took the action