Punjab CM asks CS and DGP to seek explanation of 18 DCs and 22 SSPs, found not present in their offices

Chandigarh, May 27, 2014: Reiterating the state government's firm commitment to ensure punctuality and discipline amongst officers/ officials in the government offices from 9 am to 5 pm, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today asked the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) to seek explanation from 18 Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and 22 Senior Superintendent of Police (SSPs) respectively, who were found not present in their offices, during a surprise check by the Chief Minister's Office on their landline numbers between 9:20 and 10 am on Monday last.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister's Office said that the DCs who were not present in their offices included that of Amritsar, Barnala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Mansa, SAS Nagar, Pathankot, Patiala, Tarn Taran, Moga, Ludhiana, Sangrur and Ferozepur whereas the DCs of Ropar, SBS Nagar (Nawanshehar), Sri Muktsar Sahib and Bathinda were found present. Likewise, only two Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) were present in their offices at Barnala and Mohali while the remaining 22 SSPs were not present in their offices on the same date and time as DCs. None from the offices of SSP Patiala and Muktsar picked their phones, added the spokesperson.
Pertinently, the Chief Minister had taken a serious note over the growing tendency amongst several officers to operate from the camp office at their residences due to which the people coming from far off places had to face a lot of inconvenience and hardships to get their work done in the government offices. Subsequently, Badal had strictly warned such officers to shun this un-desirable practice and asked them to function from their offices from 9 am to 5 pm on all working days to ensure prompt and hassle free delivery of services to the general public and a notification to this effect was also issued by the state government recently. The Chief Minister had also impressed upon them to discharge their duties with utmost dedication, honesty and professional commitment in the public interest. He had also asked the officers/ officials to maintain decorum and punctuality in offices to win over the confidence of the general public. Likewise, the Chief Minister had also called upon all the officers/ officials across the state to maintain regularity in their offices in the larger public interest to serve the masses with utmost zeal and sincerity.