Chandigarh: Punjab Language Department Director Jaswant Singh Zafar has alleged that a section of the state bureaucracy is attempting to shut down the department by delaying administrative decisions, withholding funds and obstructing its functioning.<\/p>\n
In a post shared on social media, Zafar claimed that a senior government source had informed him that a group of officials was working towards dismantling the historic department. He said developments over the past several months pointed towards a deliberate effort to weaken the institution.<\/p>\n
Listing his allegations, Zafar said that despite clear directions from the Chief Minister, no budget had been released through the Printing and Stationery Department for the publication of around 70 pending books. He also claimed that funds for five to six literary events organised over the past three months had been withheld.<\/p>\n
The director further alleged that approval had not been granted to retain contractual workers hired against nearly 70 vacant posts of attendants and sanitation workers after April 1. He also claimed that promotions of departmental officers had been stalled and that repeated requests to vacate the Sahit Sadan building from the National Cadet Corps (NCC) had not been acted upon.<\/p>\n
The Punjab government has not yet issued an official response to the allegations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chandigarh: Punjab Language Department Director Jaswant Singh Zafar has alleged that a section of the state bureaucracy is attempting to shut down the department by delaying administrative decisions, withholding funds and obstructing its functioning. In a post shared on social media, Zafar claimed that a senior government source had informed him that a group of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":67494,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,20],"tags":[16305,16304],"class_list":["post-67493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-punjab","tag-bid-to-shut-down-department","tag-punjab-language-department-director-alleges"],"yoast_head":"\n