No declaration on receiving gifts by any MC official

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, January 24

Even as officials of the Municipal Corporation have earned notoriety for their affinity to contractors, suppliers and executives of big companies having dealing with the civic body and allegedly receiving gifts and favours in cash and kind, on papers none of them has made any declaration — a statutory requirement — about having received any gift during the past more than two and a half years.

Information obtained by Rohit Sabharwal, president, Council of RTI Activists, from the MC under the Right to Information Act revealed that from October 1, 2017, to date, no official or employee of the MC has filed any declaration about having received a gift.

The MC has also admitted that no copy of rules framed by the state government for filing declaration about receipt of gifts was available with the office.

Sabharwal had sought a certified copy of rules framed by the state government showing the monetary limit beyond which the public servants were required to declare the gifts received by them.

In his application dated November 30, 2018, he had also demanded a certified copy of information showing the total number of public servants who had declared the gifts received by them since October 1, 2017.

As the required information was not provided within a stipulated period, the applicant went in appeal to the first appellate authority (FAA) on January 9.

In disposal of the appeal (case no 16 of 2019), the FAA, the PIO-cum-Establishment Superintendent of the MC said vide his letter (no 644/MOED) dated January 2019, the copy of relevant rules was not available and no employee had filed any such declaration from October 2017 till date.

However, the Punjab Government Employees (Conduct) Rules 1966 (amended up to date) clearly lay down (Rule 13) – “Save as otherwise provided in these rules, no government employee shall accept or permit any member of his family or any other person acting on his behalf to accept any gift.”

The said rules clearly define the nature of the gift and it has also been laid down that even on weddings, anniversaries and other religious functions, the employee would make a report to the prescribed authority if the value of the gifts so received exceed Rs 500, Rs 250 and Rs 100 (in case of class I/II, III and IV, respectively).