Tight vigil during Ram Rahim verdict: Five-day security cover costs Ludhiana admn Rs 41 lakh
A detailed account of the claim of expenditures incurred from August 23 to 28 owing to the heightened security in Ludhiana district shows an amount of Rs 17.4 lakh spent on appointment of 116 duty magistrates, including those on reserve, across the district
The tight vigil maintained in the district following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has cost the Ludhiana administration Rs 41 lakh. A report on the expenditure has been sent to the home department, Punjab, seeking payment for the claims submitted by various departments that made arrangements to ensure foolproof security in the district.
A detailed account of the claim of expenditures incurred from August 23 to 28 owing to the heightened security in Ludhiana district shows an amount of Rs 17.4 lakh spent on appointment of 116 duty magistrates, including those on reserve, across the district. Considering that each duty magistrate will get an allowance of Rs 3,000 per day for five days as per rules, the total amounts to Rs 17.4 lakh.
In addition, the Ludhiana administration pressed into service 45 ambulances from the civil surgeon’s office, and also incurred a king’s ransom on diesel and medicines provided for their round the clock movement over the five days throughout the district. The total claim submitted by the office of civil surgeon towards providing this service totals Rs 4.25 lakh.
An amount of Rs 6.48 lakh has been claimed by the general manager, Punjab Roadways Transport Corporation (PRTC), Ludhiana, towards providing buses for security and transporting dera followers.
The fire brigade department, which provided 13 fire tenders, has claimed an amount of Rs 13 lakh for positioning its fire tenders at places where violence was expected. The fire brigade department charges a rent of Rs 20,000 per day for positioning its fire tenders outside the city range. Considering that 13 fire tenders charged Rs 20,000 each for five days, the amount totals Rs 13 lakh.
Ludhiana deputy commissioner Pradeep Kumar Agarwal said in view of the widespread violence in various parts of Haryana and Punjab following the dera chief’s conviction on August 25, nothing was left to chance in the days running up to Monday, when the dera chief was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Elaborate security arrangements were in place to ensure peace in the district, and much to the relief of the security forces and administration, no untoward incident occurred, he added.