15 erring power corpn officials to face action

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, July 18

Two years after 15 officials of the PSPCL were suspended (and later reinstated) for "illegally releasing tubewell connections in Barnala circle", the PSPCL directors have decided to punish them by holding back their increments.

These officers are in the rank of Superintendent Engineer (SE), Assistant SE, SDO and Additional Assistant Engineer (AEE). They are to face action for their "direct involvement" in the scam.

As per the orders, Deputy Chief Engineer HD Goyal (distribution), Barnala, is to be denied one increment. In case of VP Goyal, then Additional SE, (sub-urban div), who has retired, there will be a 10 per cent cut in pension for three years. Ashok Kumar Singla, SE, will not be given three annual increments while AEE Ashwani Kumar faces a 10 per cent cut in pension. Another AEE Naresh Kumar Bansal, then posted in Barnala, will lose his annual increment.

Likewise, Assistant Accounts Engineers Manjeet Singh and Sushil Kumar, divisional accountant Rajinder Kumar, JEs Balbir Singh and Nirmal Singh and Linemen Gurmeet Singh, Sukhwinder Singh and Jarnail Singh will lose increments. Lineman Suba Singh will see a 20 per cent cut in pension.

The PSPCL had suspended 10 employees in Barnala in December 2015 for "releasing tubewell connections illegally and negligence in duty." The connections were released despite a ban by the NGT.

"The officers and employees procured material from the store for other works but used it for releasing connections illegally in Bhadaur. They admitted that hundreds of such connections were released in 2014 and 2015," said sources. They allegedly pocketed the money collected from farmers for releasing the connections. 

Increments stopped, cut in pension too

VP Goyal, addl SE (retd) 10% cut in pension for 3 years

Addl SE Ashok K Singla Three increments stopped

Ashwani Kumar, AEE, 10% cut in pension for good

Naresh K Bansal, AEE, to lose one annual increment

Manjeet Singh & Sushil Kumar, Assistant Accounts Engineers, to lose 4 annual increments

Rajinder Kumar, divl accountant, to lose four increments

JEs Balbir Singh & Nirmal Singh to lose two increments

Linemen Gurmeet Singh to lose four increments, Sukhwinder Singh two and Jarnail Singh three

Suba Singh 20% in pension and lose three increments