Gurugram: With a spate of suspensions and salary cuts, the Nayab Singh Saini government in Haryana is continuing a trend of tough, on-the-spot action against officials that began under the previous Manohar Lal Khattar administration.
Chief Minister Saini Saturday ordered a 15-day salary deduction for five officials posted in various state municipal bodies for delays in implementing a government scheme. Additionally, a clerk from the Gurugram Municipal Corporation was suspended with immediate effect for allegedly demanding a bribe.
The action came within days of the suspension of 24 employees of the Agriculture Department for failing to check the burning of paddy stubble by farmers in their respective areas.
Before this, Transport Minister Anil Vij had carried out a surprise raid at the Ambala Cantt bus stand in October and suspended a bus stand in-charge besides pulling up officials.
This is nothing new for Vij, who’s known for his on-the-spot suspensions and outbursts. He had told ThePrint in June 2023 that he didn’t remember how many officials he had suspended. “I have suspended umpteen employees. Whenever I find that an employee is purposely not doing their duty properly, or is harassing people, I don’t spare them,” he had said.
Similarly, Industries and Commerce Minister Rao Narbir Singh pulled up senior officers in Gurugram during a meeting after taking over as minister last month, while Deputy Speaker Krishan Middha angrily told senior officers of the power department in Jind that not he but the power minister (Vij) would call them in future in case of any lapse on their part.
Just before he was replaced with Saini, former CM Khattar, too, had started cracking the whip on officials, suspending some of them, forcing others to proceed on leave, and ordering salary cuts for others. Such actions were sometimes taken by earlier governments, too, but were less common before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power.
Jyoti Mishra, a researcher at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in Delhi said the BJP government seemed to be aiming to set a precedent for good governance by taking strict action against erring officials.
“Recent disciplinary measures, including salary cuts for four Gurgaon Municipal Corporation officials and the suspension of one, underscore this commitment. Last week, 24 Agriculture Department officials were also suspended for failing to control stubble burning—a significant issue affecting air quality,” she said.
Mishra said that while tough actions reinforce accountability, a balanced approach that combines support for employees with accountability might be more effective in fostering sustained improvements in public service.
On the other hand, Phateh Singh Dagar—a retired IAS officer who was promoted from the Haryana Civil Services (HCS) and faced several suspensions in his career—contended that such actions serve little purpose for the government and don’t affect the concerned official in any manner, either.
“Once placed under suspension, the employee gets 50 percent of the salary as sustenance allowance. The allowance is raised to 75 percent if the employee isn’t reinstated in six months. The moment the official is reinstated, the person gets the rest of the salary arrears in one go. Unless the person is found guilty of misconduct sufficient to initiate action, which is generally not the case in these spur-of-the-moment suspensions, the action doesn’t in any manner spoil the official’s service record,” he said.
Also read: Anil Vij alleges conspiracy to kill him during Haryana polls, says admin tried to ensure his defeat
Suspensions under earlier CMs
Dagar was suspended thrice under earlier chief ministers when he was an HCS officer. He recalled that during Om Prakash Chautala’s first term as CM (1989-1990), he was posted as district pension officer, a post not meant for an HCS officer.
“I refused to join since a posting as district pension officer was below my dignity, and hence I was suspended. However, I was reinstated within a few days,” he said.
Dagar also said that during Bhajan Lal’s second term (1991-1996), when he was posted as SDM at Jhajjar in 1992, he was suspended for visiting a protest site after his superior told him the CM had ordered him not to go.
“However, I was reinstated within days. I said in my reply that there was no provision of stopping a magistrate from visiting a place where an imminent law-and-order situation was feared,” he said.
Similarly, Dagar was again suspended during Bhajan Lal’s term in 1995 when he was unable to join a new posting due to indisposition. “However, I submitted my medical certificate and was reinstated,” he said.
Saini’s action
Saini’s action against the officials Saturday was in relation to the Shehri Swamitva Scheme, which is designed to give tenants ownership of commercial land belonging to municipalities if they’ve been running on rent or lease for more than 20 years.
Haryana government schemes are monitored from the CM Dashboard Cell at the chief minister’s residence. The cell contacts beneficiaries directly for feedback, which the CM personally reviews periodically. After implementation, citizens are asked about their experience, and officials are given further instructions based on this feedback.
On Friday, while seeking feedback on the Shehri Swamitva Scheme, the CM Dashboard Cell identified some serious issues. In one instance in Gurugram, a beneficiary had been waiting for two years despite having paid in full, and Sandeep Kumar, a clerk, allegedly demanded a Rs 50,000 bribe for doing this work. The chief minister immediately suspended Kumar.
Further reports from Ambala, Sonipat, and Nuh revealed that citizens who had paid in full over a year ago were still being asked to visit offices repeatedly because their conveyance deeds were not completed under the Shehri Swamitava Scheme.
In response, the chief minister immediately ordered a 15-day salary deduction for all the responsible officials, saying that negligence in implementing government schemes would not be tolerated.
According to a source in the state government, the commissioner and secretary of the Urban Local Bodies Department then deducted 15 days’ salary from the following officials: Gurugram Municipal Corporation (MC) Joint Commissioner Akhilesh Yadav, Ambala MC Joint Commissioner Puneet, Ambala Deputy Municipal Commissioner Deepak Sura, Sonipat Deputy Municipal Commissioner Hardeep, and Nuh MC Executive Officer Arun Nandal.
Directives were also issued mandating that conveyance deeds be completed within two days of receiving full payment.
(Edited by Rohan Manoj)