Chandigarh, December 20
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has taken stern notice of the rampant corruption in Punjab Communications Ltd (Puncom) (PSU), the only surviving public sector entity in the state of Punjab. If the conscience of the Congress is even a little bit alive then exemplary action should be taken against the corrupt officials and employees of Puncom and a high level inquiry should be held into the anonymous assets of the officers and employees who are openly looting the company.
In a statement issued from the party headquarters, quoting facts and documents, the state president of the party’s youth wing and MLA Meet Hayer said that the power sector in Mohali (SAS Nagar) known as Electronic Town in the 1990s has only PSU left of the country. But, the rampant bureaucracy involved in corruption is financially ruining this lone surviving institution, leaving the regular and temporary employees in fear, because if the public sector Puncom shuts down like other institutions of the state then not only will they lose their jobs but, the arrears of millions of rupees due to each employee will also sink. First Badal government, then Captain Government and now Channi government are looting Puncom with both hands. No one is showing any interest or taking an initiative to stop about a dozen and a half officers who are hell bent on destroying this public entity.
Releasing the on-record salaries of 10 top officials of Puncom, Meet Hair said that on the one hand salaries ranging from Rs 1.5 lakh to more than Rs 3 lakh are being collected and on the other hand, the family of Naresh Kumar, a permanent employee of the company who died due to Covid while being on duty in Bhusawal, Maharashtra, has not been paid the full gratuity as per the rules nor has his kin been given a job. You can imagine the lack of concern of corrupt officials that they haven’t shown any sympathy towards the family of Naresh Kumar even after they failed to get his body because of covid being at peak, added Meet Hayer.
Mr. Hayer said that the Puncom officials who are earning higher salaries than the Chief Minister and the Governor of Punjab were also robbing Puncom with fake bills and affidavits, which was not disclosed by any ordinary person or organization but by the CAG audit. Despite that government did not consider it necessary to take any action against any of the culprits, as the land mafia active in the ruling party is also patronizing such corrupt officials so that like JCT, Punwire etc. Puncom too would fail to their benefit. Because, when it is closed then they can buy this (Puncom) land / property, worth billions of rupees, for pennies. Mr. Hayer said that PSU with 71 percent share of Punjab government has a hefty property at 5 places in Mohali alone.
He demanded a time-bound inquiry into the ongoing scams and high-level looting in Puncom under the supervision of the Hon’ble High Court and said that if the Channi government did not take concrete steps to save this lone public sector entity, then in 2022, with the formation of AAP government, not only Puncom will be revived, but the looting will be stopped and punished by confiscating the assets of the officials and their political patrons responsible for financial scams in this institute.
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