Five senior officials to face action for ‘dereliction’ of duty

Tribune News Service
Ropar, November 6

Following an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the collection of ‘goonda’ tax, Mining Department Director Rahul Bhandari has recommended initiating disciplinary proceedings against five senior officials for “failing to contain illegal activities of mining contactors”.

The five officials — then Ropar SDM Harjot Kaur, Assistant Superintendent of Police Ravi Kumar, Mining Department XEN Rupinder Singh Pabla, District Forest Officer Amit Chauhan and the Regional Transport Authority — were members of a joint inspection team constituted by then Deputy Commissioner Sumeet Jarangal in November last year to find out unauthorised nakas set up by ‘goonda’ tax mafia in the district.

According to an affidavit filed by Bhandari in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, he had written a letter to the Chief Secretary and other departmental heads for initiating disciplinary proceedings against the five officials. While Harjot Kaur, Kumar and Pabla are posted in other districts presently, Chauhan is still working as the Ropar DFO.

Bhandari also wrote to the Ropar SSP seeking action against five workers of a contractor who were found present on the illegal nakas by the team. The mafia had set up nakas in August last year at various places in the district to collect protection money from tippers loaded with sand and gravel. After the issue was highlighted in the media, the Ropar Deputy Commissioner formed a five-member committee to look into it.

Meanwhile, one Bachittar Singh moved the High Court seeking removal of the ‘goonda’ tax mafia from the district. Ropar Chief Judicial Magistrate had submitted a report to the court in March, confirming illegal nakas were operational in the district.

Following this, the court directed the CBI to investigate the matter. In its preliminary report submitted before the court on September 8, the CBI stated that the nakas had been set up in the past and recommended further probe.

Bhandari, in his letter to the Chief Secretary, has stated that the committee in its report had submitted that “the checking was being done by workers of contractors but no ‘goonda’ tax was being collected.” Accordingly, the Mining Department XEN had filed an affidavit in the court. “The findings of the CJM and CBI didn’t match with the report of the committee, hence the disciplinary proceedings against these officers,” he said.