The Punjab Congress shenanigans demonstrated how an entire administration can be held to ransom by politicians. And how even the exchequer has to pay for them.While the debate and its resolution (no one is calling it ‘‘final’’ as yet) has succeeded in democratising the CMO, it will take some time for the regime to undo the losses suffered during the stalemate. There’s virtually no record of the meetings cancelled due to absence of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his ministers. Amarinder, reduced to making appeals to ministers to attend to governance through the media, had to preside over a Cabinet meeting attended by a dozen of the 25 ministers last month. The entire Punjab Congress Legislature Party, along with party top brass, actually spent December in Delhi: The CM camp at Kapurthala House and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal-led camp at Punjab Bhawan. Back home, the much-hyped devolution of powers to panchayats was delayed by over four months, twice even after making public the exact date of Sonia Gandhi’s visit to make the announcement.An amended Punjab Cooperative Act draft, aimed at reducing bureaucratic control over cooperatives, is gathering dust. Proposals for disinvestment also lie unattended. Most of the Punjab Tourism Development Corporation have applied for VRS, and PTDC is due for disinvestment if politicians could find some time.Higher Education Minister Harnam Das Johar, having decided to wind up the loss-suffering Punjab State Textbook Board, played guide to the dissidents as his ministry suffered. ‘‘But I ensured that files were cleared,’’ he claims.After just two weeks of absence, the CM announced on December 19 that his own office had 250 files pending! A crucial decision about unbundling of Punjab State Electricity Board was delayed for weeks before it was cleared by a sub-committee. Bhattal, who is member of the panel which took the decision, skipped the meeting as she was in Delhi. She has not even seen the files so far. Some 909 panchayat secretaries, who were sacked but were to be re-appointed as per Bhattal’s announcement, are still waiting.
