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After poor show in Swachh survey, Chandigarh admn repatriates medical officer of health
Chandigarh adviser Dharam Pal on Monday said the MC and administration officials will be held accountable for the city’s poor performance in the Swachh Survekshan 2021 survey. Medical officer of health Dr Amrit Pal Singh Warring was on deputation to the city from the Punjab government.
Heads have started rolling in the aftermath of Chandigarh’s poor performance in Swachh Survekshan 2021 (SS2021). The UT administration on Monday repatriated Dr Amrit Pal Singh Warring, under whose watch as medical officer of health (MOH), Chandigarh municipal corporation slipped in the Swachh rankings.
UT adviser Dharam Pal on Monday said the MC and administration officials will be held accountable for the city’s poor performance in the survey.
“Everything is under review. As and when we discover that there has been a lapse on the part of any official, we will fix responsibility. This is a warning to other officers too. You can’t come to Chandigarh, enjoy and leave,” said Pal. Warring was on deputation to the city from the Punjab government.
The terms of the officers on deputation to the city will be linked to their performance. “If their performance is not satisfactory, their tenure will not be extended, and these can be ended prematurely too,” said Pal.
On the officers from state and AGMUT cadres, Pal, said, “Chandigarh has a traditional arrangement with Punjab, Haryana and AGMUT on deputation of officers. We have no problem from which state the officers are coming if they are performing well. But, if an arrangement is not working, we will have no hesitation in looking for other alternative arrangements.”
Warring debarred from UT
On Monday, Punjab governor and UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit relieved Warring with immediate effect and also debarred him from ever holding any post in Chandigarh administration in future.
Following up on the recommendation to chargesheet Warring, MC commissioner Anindita Mitra on Monday requested the adviser to repatriate Warring immediately. Mitra highlighted the “failures” during his tenure in terms of not floating the mechanical and manual sweeping contract in time, leading to four-month extension for the present company, which is set to cost the MC ₹16.50 crore.
Earlier, the commissioner had proposed a chargesheet for major penalty against the MOH for delay in outsourcing drivers for 96 vehicles. The delay in the tender for outsourcing 122 drivers resulted in 96 garbage collection vehicles lying idle.
The administration will also forward the chargesheet against Warring to the Punjab government, said Pal.
“Due to his less-than-desirable efforts on the sanitation front, Chandigarh has fallen from 16 to 66 in the Swacch Survekshan ranking of 2021,” added Mitra.
Warring didn’t respond to multiple calls and messages.
Preparing for next year
“We are going to have a hard review on November 24 because we don’t have much time for the next survey. It will probably be scheduled in January or February next year. We really have to pull up our socks and see how well we can do as we are in the middle of an election. We will try our best to improve on the parameters,” said the UT adviser.
In November 24 meeting, the responsibility of the MC and administration’s officials for different parameters will be fixed.
