S.A.S. Nagar (Mohali): Taking a strong stand against the protesting Tehsildars, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann today clearly said that the state government will not bow down to corrupt officers who are facing police action on charges of bribery. The Chief Minister today made a stormy tour of these tehsils to start the work of registries at the tehsil offices of Kharar, Banur and Zirakpur.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister said that the revenue officers have gone on mass leave due to vigilance action against their corrupt officers. He said, “The AAP government is upholding the policy of showing no mercy towards corruption, but it is sad that these officers who have gone on mass leave are seeking a license for corruption. We will not bow down to such dirty tricks of twisting the government's arm and will take strict action against these corrupt and arrogant officers.”
The Chief Minister said that such tactics by the revenue officers to put pressure on the government will not be tolerated at any cost and exemplary action will be taken against them. He said that the state government will recruit new Tehsildars and revenue officers in the coming days for which an agenda will be brought in the cabinet. Bhagwant Singh Mann clearly said, “These officers harass the common people every day but this cannot be tolerated any longer and the government will take strict action against them.”
The Chief Minister said that these officers who have gone on mass leave should take one thing for themselves that the people will now decide when and where they will join after the leave. He said that the state government has a plan-B ready to deal with such moves and if needed, the government will not hesitate to give the powers of Tehsildars to teachers and professors so that the functioning of the registry can continue uninterrupted. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the state government is fully committed to protecting the interests of the common people at all costs and should not dare to consider our honor as a weakness. The Chief Minister said that to save the common people from the troubles due to the mass leave of revenue officers, PCS officers, lawyers and senior assistants (who have passed all the departmental examinations for the promotion of Naib Tehsildar) have been appointed as sub-registrars to continue the work of the tehsils. He said that in democracy, power lies with the people and his government will not allow anyone, no matter how influential, to create problems for the people. Bhagwant Singh Mann said in clear words that work will not stop in the tehsils and the work of land registry will continue unabated.
The Chief Minister said that these officers are taking huge salaries from the state government but are not providing services to the people. He said that this cannot be tolerated because in a democracy, people are at the top and the officers are accountable to them. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that if these officers want to go on mass leave and do not want to work, then the state government has many unemployed youth who are already waiting to work in their place.
The Chief Minister said that for the next 10 days, he will visit different tehsils across the state to smoothen the work. He said that the tehsildars have been troubling the people for many generations with their corrupt ways. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this is completely unreasonable and inappropriate. He said that the state government will not allow these officials to act arbitrarily.
The Chief Minister said that there is a ‘credit war’ going on between various farmer unions which are trying to spread chaos by running a parallel government. He reiterated that the government is always ready to resolve issues related to different sections of the society through talks. However, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that putting the common people in trouble by blocking trains or roads should be avoided.
The Chief Minister said that such action puts the common people in trouble due to which they turn against the agitators, which creates division in the society. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that unfortunately the common people have to suffer a lot due to such protests which is completely unjustified. He said that although it is the democratic right of the farmers to protest, they should also think that this action is causing a big loss to the state.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has made a strong strategy to eradicate drugs. He said that the supply line of drugs has been broken and big fish have been thrown behind bars. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the war against this scourge is on and no one involved in this heinous crime will be spared. The Chief Minister gave the example of Narangwal village in Ludhiana district where the illegal property of a drug smuggler was demolished last week. The Chief Minister said that the properties of drug smugglers are being confiscated/demolished. He said that the state government has adopted a policy of zero tolerance towards drugs and a decisive war has been launched to uproot this menace. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the war against drugs is being converted into a people’s movement so that Punjab can be made completely drug free.