Chandigarh Diary

Contention over hoisting Nishan Sahib 
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has hit out at Sangrur MP Simranjit Singh Mann on his call to hoist the Nishan Sahib (religious flag) and not tricolour from August 13 to 15. However, Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira has on social media shared a video of Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar where he is seen with late actor Deep Sidhu at Red Fort during farmers’ rally on January 26 last year. “Dear @ArvindKejriwal & @BhagwantMann ji plz clarify if your transport minister @Laljitbhullar is part of hoisting Kesri Nishan Sahib on Red Fort along with Deep Sidhu? If yes how does our CM call them anti national & keep him minister in his cabinet? I am subject to correction!,” he tweeted.

Stop giving extensions to IAS officers, says MP
Brijendra Singh, BJP MP from Hisar – who is himself a former IAS officer – last week questioned the state government giving extension in service to IAS officers. Singh who spoke in the Lok Sabha said that there is shortage of officers taken by the governments was fallacious. He said the Union government should curb the practice of giving extensions to IAS officers as it leads to demoralisation of younger officers. He cited an example from Haryana, where he had worked as an IAS officer and gave the example that the state government wanted to get a two-year extension in service for three IAS officers Rajeev Arora and Devender Singh (retired in July) and P K Das (retiring in August) citing shortage of officers but could not do so.

Mann’s photos on govt jute bags 
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann recently unveiled jute bags prepared by the Punjab Pollution Control Board which will replace plastic bags at the 72nd Van Mahostav at Dhuri. The CM was accompanied by state Environment Minister Meet Hayer. The jute bags have photos of both of them. Ironically, when Mann was in the opposition as the MLA from Sangrur, he used to hit out at the then chief minister, Parkash Singh Badal, for using his photos on cycles, ambulances and other paraphernalia in the government-run flagship schemes. Now, the chief minister, who heads the AAP-led government, seems to have conveniently forgotten those days.

Harpreet Bajwa
Our correspondent in Chandigarh hsbajwa73@gmail.com