Engineer in dock over failure to give power connection
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 12
Lambasting an executive engineer with the Punjab State Electricity Board for failure to release connection to an agriculturist, Justice Surya Kant of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today asserted that poor farmers were made to languish in courts, while power connections were being given to colonisers and builders. Miffed over the way the “merit list” for the release of connections was being prepared and “manipulated”, Justice Surya Kant minced no words while saying the functionaries were hobnobbing with the builders and colonisers.

At one point, Justice Surya Kant also directed the arrest of the executive engineer for his failure to turn up in the court. After many pleadings by a counsel, the Judge did not put the stamp of finality on the order, but directed him to come present before the Bench in the afternoon. As of now, directions have been issued for forthwith release of connection to the agriculturist; and records of previous five years have been summoned to see how the lists were prepared, updated or altered.

As Patiala resident Jaswant Singh’s petition came up for hearing, Justice Surya Kant asked the executive engineer to explain why he was not appearing before the Bench.

The attempts by the engineer to use strike by the PSEB employees as a shield to protect himself did not impress the Bench. After he said the strike had resulted in power failure in Baltana area and he was on his toes for restoration of supply, the Judge asked him to explain why he had stayed away from the court proceedings on previous hearings also.

In the orders, Justice Surya Kant noticed that the petitioner, an agriculturist-cum- ex-serviceman was running from pillar to post for tube-well connection, but was being harassed by the electricity board. The Judge added that the board misled him into investing huge amounts on an electric motor, bore and room. The executive engineer, called to the court through coercive means, is directed to produce the record, the Judge added