Resignation not yet accepted, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit to tour six border districts from Feb 20

Tribune News Service

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, February 12

As his resignation is not yet accepted, Governor Banwarilal Purohit is set to embark on a border visit from February 20 to 23.

Purohit had resigned from his post on February 3, citing “personal reasons and certain other commitments”. Ten days after, there is no word from the Government of India on the status of his resignation letter.

Meanwhile, the Governor is continuing to discharge his duties here. In the past week, he held two functions at Punjab Raj Bhawan - on February 5, he hosted officers of National Defence College and on February 9, he hosted students from Kashmir.

Last week, the Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya had reportedly also called on him.

Official sources in Punjab Raj Bhawan have told The Tribune that the Governor would also attend other public functions this week, including a college convocation.

The announcement of his four-day visit to border district - the sixth such visit during his tenure so far- has again rattled the top echelons of the state government. Known for his “plain talk”, the Governor, in most of his visits and public interactions, had castigated the state government for the “poor law and order situation and the rampant illicit drug trade and its cross-border smuggling”.

During his upcoming visit, the Governor will traverse through the border districts of Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Fazilka. His itinerary includes meetings with central agencies and state government officials to review the progress made since his previous visits and to address any new issue that cropped up during the recent times.

“A key focus of these meetings will be on enhancing coordination between central and state agencies to overcome bottlenecks, particularly in the realms of border infrastructure, security, smuggling and combating the menace of drug trafficking in the border areas. The Governor’s agenda also includes interactions with Village Defence Committees (VDCs), which have proven instrumental in combating drugs and other social evils in the border regions. These engagements aim to glean feedback from various public representatives and the press,” said an official statement from Punjab Raj Bhawan.

Senior officers, including the Chief Secretary of Punjab, the Director General of Police, heads of the Border Security Force (BSF), Army, National Investigation Agency (NIA), BSNL as well as DCs, and SSP from each district, are expected to participate in this border visit.

Will review progress made since last visit

• The Governor will traverse through the border districts of Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Fazilka
• His itinerary includes meetings with central agencies and government officials to review the progress made since his previous visits and to address any new issues

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