Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian on Friday reprimanded senior officials of his department after arriving nearly one-and-a-half hours late for the scheduled inauguration of a bio-fertiliser testing laboratory in Bathinda.
In the presence of Director Agriculture Gurjit Singh Brar, the minister publicly rebuked the Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO), Bathinda, and other officials, questioning why he had not been informed about the exact location and timing of the event after reaching Bathinda.
Khuddian also warned the officials of possible action over the lapse. “I reached Bathinda one-and-a-half hours ago, but none of you contacted me. I even held a meeting at the District Administrative Complex. You all are making a mockery of me," the minister said.
He also reprimanded his personal staff over the communication lapse.
However, Harpreet Pal Kaur, Chief Agriculture Officer, Bathinda, clarified that she had personally shared the location, timing and programme details with the minister’s staff through messages, adding that the issue arose due to a miscommunication.
Another official said he had remained at the venue until late at night and returned in the morning to ensure there were no glitches in the event arrangements.
Later, the minister said the bio-fertiliser testing laboratory was the first of its kind in the state and would benefit farmers by providing improved testing facilities.
