Minister Takes Tough Stand After Hearing Bribery Complaint in Public Hearing, Action Taken Against Guilty.
Urban Development and Energy Minister A.K. Sharma adopted a very strict stance during a public hearing held at his residence in Lucknow on Thursday after a serious case of corruption in the electricity department came to light. As a result, on Friday a lineman was dismissed from service, a junior engineer (JE) was suspended, and explanations were sought from two other officers.
The minister said that there is no place in the state for bribery, negligence or harassment of the Public. During the Public hearing, a complainant from Naogaon Sadat in Amroha district, Mohammad Yusa, son of Qasim, informed the minister that a bribe was demanded in the name of providing an electricity connection and that the work was being deliberately delayed. Minister Sharma took the complaint very seriously.
Taking immediate cognizance of the matter, Minister A.K. Sharma spoke on the phone with Ravish Gupta, Managing Director of Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited, and gave clear instructions to take the strictest possible action against the guilty officers and employees. Due to the minister tough stand and zero-tolerance policy, the department acted swiftly and, by late night, punitive action was taken against those responsible.
On the minister instructions, Junior Engineer Rajeev Singh was suspended with immediate effect, while lineman Abbas was dismissed from service. In addition, SDO Ritesh Prasad and Executive Engineer Rahul Nigam were issued notices seeking explanations under Rule-10 with a recommendation for departmental action if their replies are found unsatisfactory.
Commenting on the action, Minister A.K. Sharma stated in clear terms that the energy department exists to serve the Public, not to extort money from them. He emphasized that any officer or employee who misuses their Position to harass ordinary citizens will face strict action without any Pressure or Discrimination.
The minister further said that his policy against corruption is one of complete zero tolerance and that every complaint received through public hearings will be acted upon swiftly and decisively. He warned officials that anyone working against the intentions of the government will not be spared under any circumstances and such action will continue in the future.
