The functioning of the Punjab Finance Department is likely to take a hit as only three of the seven officers in the department are working at present. Two officers relinquished their charge on Wednesday, while the other two are on leave.

Sources said the income tax advisor-cum-secretary (finance) in the department, B S Sandhu—a 1982 batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer— and Parneet Mahal Suri, director (budget), also an IRS officer were relieved on Wednesday and will now report back to Central Board of Direct Taxes Department of Revenue. Both of them were repatriated to their parent cadre on the directions of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Earlier, the court had granted interim stay on the departmental proceedings initiated by the parent department after they failed to join back after repeated communications by theCentre.

Sources said both of them were to be absorbed by the state Government, but it was decided take them in as officers of the Punjab Civil Service (PCS) and not the IAS. Both of them, however, decided not to join the PCS.

With director (Treasures) Alakh Nanda Dayal and H S Nanda, director (Lotteries and Small Savings), on leave, only Anirudh Tewari, secretary (Expenditure), R K Kaushik, additional secretary (Finance) and Karan Avtar Singh principal secretary (Finance) are left working in the department. Karan Singh tpp had given his consent to go on central deputation. Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal admitted that there was shortage of officers. “Kaushik has been given additional charges,” he added.

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