Chandigarh, November 6
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab has leveled serious allegations against the ruling Congress for showing special kindness to the top officials who were the main culprits of the transport mafia during the SAD-BJP government. Slamming Transport Minister Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, the AAP asked that officers against whom stern action should have been taken for giving administrative patronage to the transport mafia; how can the transport mafia be practically eradicated by giving the same officers senior positions in the state transport office?
Releasing a document to the media through a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Saturday, AAP Youth Wing state president and MLA Meet Hayer apprised the Channi government and especially Transport Minister Raja Warring about the post of Punjab State Road Safety Council (Lead Agency) and its Director General; asking to make public all the documents on whose orders this special post and office was created. Has the post been approved by the Cabinet?
Hayer alleged that the post was not created for road safety but for the ‘safety’ of illegal buses of the Badal-Majithia family. R. Venkat Ratnam, the most beloved IAS officer of the Badal family, was appointed as the Director General (Road Safety) for a period of three years (December 2023); while R. Venkat Ratnam had recently retired before becoming the Director General.
The AAP leader further said that as the Deputy Commissioner, R Venkat Ratnam has been popularly known as a special service officer of the Badal family. When the SAD-BJP government came to power in 2007, the first appointment was made of R Venkat Ratnam as the State Transport Commissioner (STC). This was the beginning of the ‘transport mafia’ at the government level in the state. Venkat Ratnam held the post of STC for nearly four-and-a-half-years and during this time hundreds of lucrative routes were distributed to the Badals and favorite private transporters at the cost of Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS and PRTC and thousands of permits were arbitrarily increased; costing the exchequer billions of rupees.
Not only this, in the next Badal government (2012 to 2017) R. Venkat Ratnam provided special services to the Badal family as Secretary Transport. Meet Hair also raised questions on the salary, allowances, vehicle, driver and other facilities being given to R. Venkat Ratnam as Director General Punjab State Road Safety Council. He said that the kindness of the Channi government on the officer who was causing financial loss to Punjab raises big questions.
