NRI Sabha chief removes 117 ‘illegal’ overseas appointees
Monday, 04/03/2013
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STATE GOVT HAS BEEN GETTING ADVERSE PUBLICITY IN THE MEDIA DUE TO SUCH ILLEGAL APPOINTMENTS
JALANDHAR: Newly-elected NRI Sabha, Punjab, president Jasvir Singh Gill has terminated 117 office bearers of overseas units, since such appointments were allegedly made in blatant violation of the sabha’s constitution, it is learnt.
Gill, however, termed it as a routine exercise. “I assumed the charge of president after getting elected to the post on January 27. Since the term of these office bearers was co-terminus with the tenure of the sabha president, it was decided to issue a formal order to terminate them,” Gill said, adding that none would represent sabha in foreign countries till the time fresh appointments would be made in consultation with the sabha chairman and the state government. He preferred not to comment on ‘illegality’ involved in appointment of these overseas appointees during the tenure of his predecessor Kamaljeet Singh Hayre.
On appointing international directors as per the sabha constitution, Gill said he had initiated a process to consult sabha chairman Anurag Verma in this regard. “We will soon take requisite action to appoint international directors and understand the need to constitute overseas units that too at the province level in every country so as to engage Punjabi diaspora in policy making,” he added.
The previous president Hayre had unauthorisedly appointed scores of NRIs as chairmen, presidents and office bearers of overseas units in US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Germany, etc. Sources said Gill had discussed the issue of terminating appointees with Verma, before passing the final orders. The state government has been receiving adverse publicity in the media due to such illegal appointments.
Though the state government had claimed sabha to be a nongovernmental organisation while pleading its case before union home ministry and the state information commission, in the past, but all the appointments were made by Hayre on the then Punjab NRI affairs ministers’ recommendations, including Sewa Singh Sekhwan.
