RTI activist threatens to burn effigies over no action on plaints

Ludhiana: Perturbed over no action being taken over frequent complaints against municipal corporation officials, city-based activist Rohit Sabharwal has threatened to burn the effigy of principal secretary, local bodies department, and MC commissioner in the coming days. He has given an ultimatum up to November 30 to both officers for acting over the complaints or else he will go ahead with his protest.
He claimed that he had made so many complaints against the officials after highlighting their careless attitude towards the ongoing works, but except marking inquiries no action had been initiated against the erring officials. Citing examples, he said on July 9, he had requested to mark a vigilance inquiry for inspecting the quality of the road work carried out a few months back by the MC.
In another complaint made on July 29, he had again requested for the marking of a vigilance inquiry against sub-standard roads which had failed the quality test during checks conducted in areas within the jurisdiction of the MC, owing to which crores of rupees had been drained out of the public exchequer. Then on June 3, he filed a complaint regarding losses worth crores being caused to the public exchequer due to an alleged scam by some corrupt officers of the building branch of the MC. Then on October 12, he requested for a vigilance inquiry for not maintaining the measurement books.
He said instead of taking action and holding a proper inquiry into these complaints, nothing was done. He said complaints made by him were in public interest and had been filed against the alleged huge embezzlement which had taken place during the development of new roads due to which huge loss had been caused to the public exchequer. He said through this letter he was giving time to the authorities concerned to conduct an inquiry into these matters and conclude the same by November 30, otherwise he would hold a demonstration and burn the effigies in protest.