Bureaucratic rejig leaves entire Nawanshahr dist sans SDM

Tribune News Service

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, September 10

In an unusual move, Thursday’s rejig of bureaucratic officials has left all three posts of Subdivisional Magistrate in Nawanshahr district — Nawanshahr, Banga and Balachaur — vacant. Officials are transferred with some replacement, which is a norm usually, but not in this case.

SDM Banga Navneet Bal was transferred as Estate Officer of Jalandhar Development Authority last month. She has now been further transferred to Bholath as SDM. Her charge was being handled by Nawanshahr SDM Baljinder Singh Dhillon. But on Thursday, Dhillon, too, got transferred as Estate Officer of Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority. SDM Balachaur Suba Singh also moved out as SDM Lehragaga.

Since no replacement has been given for these posts for the past two days, it has left the entire district without any SDM. Even the post of Assistant Commissioner in the district, which is usually filled by a PCS officer, is lying vacant. Resultantly, there is only one PCS officer left in the district, Rajiv Verma, who holds the charge as ADC.

The situation became so grave that Nawanshahr Deputy Commissioner Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa had to hand over the SDMs' charge temporarily to the Tehsildars on Friday. As an exigency plan and to handle any law and order situation, the charge of SDM Nawanshahr to Tehsildar Nawanshahr, SDM Balachaur to Tehsildar Balachaur and SDM Banga to Naib Tehsildar Banga.

The officials shared, “Even though Nawanshahr is a small district, it assumes importance as 66 km stretch of the highway passing through the district connects with Chandigarh. There can be VVIP visits or any other emergency, for which officials have to be deputed. The district also has a sizable majority of SC population and there can be communal issues emanating any time.”

Expect replacement from govt soon

We are handling the situation well and everything is in place. We expect replacement from the government any time. — Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa, Nawanshahr DC

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