Amid crackdown on ‘corrupt’ practices, Jalandhar Improvement Trust staff strike work

Jalandhar Improvement Trust chairman Jagtar Singh Sanghera has been investigating allotment of commercial and residential plots from 2016 to 2022 on the basis of “forged” registrations.

Employees of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) on Monday initiated a pen-down strike against chairman Jagtar Singh Sanghera who has been cracking down on “errant” officials and clerks who are said to have been indulged in corrupt practices. The protesters alleged that the chairman has been working in an autocratic manner and complaining against staff members without proper investigation.

Recently, the Jalandhar city police booked JIT’s former executive officer, certain officials and clerks in two cases related to “wrongful” registrations done by the office on the complaint of JIT chairman Jagtar Singh Sanghera. (Picture only for representational purpose)

Sanghera has been investigating allotment of commercial and residential plots from 2016 to 2022 on the basis of “forged” registrations. Last week, the Jalandhar city police booked JIT’s former executive officer (EO), certain officials and clerks in two cases related to “wrongful” registrations done by the office on the complaint of Sanghera.

JIT employees alleged the trust chairman has been submitting complaints against staff members without carrying out proper investigation. “Instead of taking action against those who were calling the shots in the JIT affairs, the employees, mainly executives and clerical staff, are being made scapegoats in such cases. The authorities have failed to rope in local government department’s vigilance wing for carrying out probe in these cases,” the employees said.

In a press statement issued on Sunday, Sanghera had stated that he had plethora of documents available which showed that the trust properties were allotted to beneficiaries by violating norms.

According to Sanghera, “The chairman has the power under the Punjab Town Improvement Act to file criminal cases if corrupt practices take place in the allotment of properties. We have identified seven more cases in which misappropriation of funds came to fore. We have already informed the department to take required action. Police complaints related to this will be filed in near future.”