Chandigarh, June 17, 2014: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today made a surprise check in the offices of Cabinet Ministers and senior officers at third and sixth floor of the Punjab Civil Secretariat at sharp 09:05 am and found eight Ministers and a senior bureaucrat absent from their offices.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that this move was aimed at ensuring decorum and discipline in the government offices besides fulfilling the commitment of the state government for prompt deliverance of citizen centric services and redressal of public grievances. The Cabinet Ministers who were not found present in their offices during the surprise check of Chief Minister included Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Irrigation Minister Sharanjeet Singh Dhillon, Local Government Minister Anil Joshi, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon, Health Minister Mr. Surjit Kumar Jiyani, Forest Minister Chunni Lal Bhagat, Industries Minister Madan Mohan Mittal and Revenue Minister and Information & Public Relations Minister Bikram Singh Majithia besides Principal Secretary General Administration Sanjay Kumar was also found absent from his office. While the four Cabinet Ministers including Agriculture Minister Jathedar Tota Singh, Transport Minister Jathedar Ajit Singh Kohar, Tourism and Jails Minister Sohan Singh Thandal and Water Supply & Sanitation Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra were present in their offices.
Meanwhile, Badal requested the Ministers to ensure their presence in the offices to discharge their official work diligently besides redressing the grievances of the people, who come all the way to meet them for getting their work done from the far flung areas of the state. Likewise, he also reiterated that officers/ officials should also remain available in their offices from 9 am to 5 pm for the convenience of general public in order to instill a sense of confidence and belongingness in the state administration.
The Chief Minister also impressed upon the people’s representatives and bureaucracy to discharge their duties with utmost dedication, honesty and professional commitment in the larger public interest. Likewise, the Chief Minister also exhorted them to maintain punctuality in their offices to serve the masses with utmost zeal and sincerity.