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Sidhu's close aide becomes Amritsar Improvement Trust chief, replaces baiter
Damandeep Singh Uppal was made the chief of the trust in place of Dinesh Bassi, a known baiter of Sidhu.
A day after bringing in major changes across the state bureaucracy, the new Punjab government replaced the chairman of Amritsar Improvement Trust with a close aide of state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Damandeep Singh Uppal was made the chief of the trust in place of Dinesh Bassi, a known baiter of Sidhu.
Uppal’s name was announced during newly appointed chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s visit to Amritsar along with Sidhu and team earlier in the day.
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This was Channi’s first visit to Amritsar after taking the reins of the state. He paid obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Besides Sidhu, he was accompanied by his two deputies -- Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and OP Soni.
Meanwhile, a major bureaucratic reshuffle was effected on Tuesday, a day after Channi took oath as the chief minister replacing Amarinder Singh, who resigned on Saturday citing humiliation over the past two months. The Punjab Congress had been reeling under a months-long factionalism and dissent over a power-sharing tussle between Singh and Sidhu.
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Transfer orders were issued for nine IAS and two PCS officers, posting three more officers in the new chief minister’s office.
The government also transferred three police commissioners during the day. Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, who was recently made the deputy inspector general of police, Jalandhar, became the Ludhiana police commissioner in place of Naunihal Singh with the latter now becoming the Jalandhar commissioner.
Meanwhile, Vikramjeet Duggal was removed as the Amritsar police commissioner and replaced by Sukhchain Singh Gill.
There were also reports of replacement of the Batala Improvement Trust chairman. Congress Rajya Sabha member Partap Singh Bajwa is said to have appointed a close associate of his as chairman, replacing a loyalist of Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa.
(With inputs from bureau)
