His strict punctuality put bureaucrats off track

BATHINDA: Parkash Singh Badal was so punctual that many times a number of leaders attending his programme had to miss the event for not sticking to the given time. The strict punctuality started coming to fore after 1997 when Badal took the command of the state for a third time and when he started his pet project of Sangat darshan (government at the doorstep). He used to cover three-four sangat darshans in a day and the first sangat darshan used to be nearly at 8 am in summers and at 9 am in winters.
Badal used to reach on time or before time at the first sangat darshan wherever it may be, even if it was far from Chandigarh or Badal village.A number of times, bureaucrats from various departments, who had been directed to attend the programmes to answer any queries of the public, used to miss the first sangat darshan as they reached late.
Once even the deputy commissioner of a district was late, but Badal without waiting for the officer held the sangat darshan and deputed another officer to note down the things pertaining to the deputy commissioner’s responsibilities.
At some of the sangat darshan programmes, some of the sarpanches used to try to get most grants for their villages but Badal used to provide grants as per the needs of the villagers, recalls an old Badal aide. Interestingly, Badal used a particular chair for his sangat darshan programmes and it used to get prominence as it was transported in a vehicle from one spot to another.