Punjab local bodies minister suspend three officials

CHANDIGARH: Taking suo moto notice of the news viral of social media regarding the mismanagement of lateral sewerage in Guru Amardas Enclave, Amritsar, the Local government minister Mr. Anil Joshi today suspended three officers responsible for the upkeep of this sewerage.
Disclosing this Mr. Anil Joshi, Minister for Local Bodies Department said that the officers who have been suspended included XEN Mr. Anil Kumar Tandon, SDO Mr. Gurpal Singh and JE Mr. Rajiv Kumar of Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board. He said taking cognizance of the news report the minister deputed Chief Vigilance Officer to assess the spot. He said as per the report furnished by the CVO the upkeep and the maintenance of the lateral sewerage were not as per the set parameters and specifications. He said that the action against the company would be taken once the test report of the samples is out. The Minister said that he had already directed the officers and contractor to follow the prescribed specifications for the standard design of the lateral sewerage. He said no compromise with the prescribed specifications would be made in the public interest. He said that it is the responsibility of the superintending engineer to evaluate the work of the contractor vis a vis set specification and guidelines, payment to the contractor and agency would be made of the report submitted by the SE in this regard. Adding further, he ordered that the samples of the raw materials i.e. bricks, cement, concrete and cement mortar to be used shall be sent to T.T.T.I Chandigarh or any other government institution for approval. He exhorted the officers, employees and the contractors to work for the welfare of the State and to contribute in curbing the corruption.