AMRITSAR:  Shiromani Gurdawara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) Members from Patiala and Ludhina in an anonymous letter to Jatehdar Akal Takht and media offices have accused the SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar for his alleged involvement in misuse of crores of funds from the committee exchequer.

Several irregularities committed during the two years tenure of Avtar Singh Makkar being a SGPC President were highlighted in the complaint letter. The allegations were made four days before the election of SGPC president due on November 23 at Amritsar.

It was alleged in the letter that fund of Rs. one crore was misused through the Assistant Secretary Daljit Singh Bedi who was recently suspended by the SGPC President on the intervention of SAD Acting President Sukhbir Badal for his alleged involvement in moral turpitude case.

SGPC officials said that Rs. 1 crore were spent by Bedi to make the payments to the various vernacular newspapers' bills for the advertisement of SGPC related matters.

However, during the tenure of late and former SGPC President Gurcharan Singh Tohra the bills of advertisements was never crossed above Rs. 5 lakhs whereas, here with in the year Bedi has released advertisements worth Rs. 1 crore.

Daljit Singh Bedi was the right hand man of Makkar and most of the time when Makkar moved out of Punjab preferred to travel with him. Bedi was promoted as a Assistant Secretary for Public Relation out of way just a year back during the tenure of Makkar, alleged in the
complaint.

Letter also alleged that more 162 appointments of faculty members in the different Educational Institutions including Shri Guru Ram DAS Medical College being run by the SGPC were made while throwing all the norms to wind by Makkar during the last two years. Some doctors
employed in the Shri Guru Ram Das Medical College were given undue promotions out of the way, alleged in the complaint.

Complaint also alleged that nearly 382 appointments were made in the SGPC office during the tenure of Makkar which were allegedly against the SGPC Act 1925.

It was also alleged that SGPC employees were not getting salary for the last five months due to the unwanted expenditure which were made with the prior permission of SGPC President of SGPC Makkar.

It was also alleged that inferior infrastructure worth Rs. 3 crore was purchased for the Shri Guru Ram DAS Medical College for the sake of hefty commission paid by the manufacturer. Fund of Rs. 3 crore were utilized from SGPC treasury which had come through donations from the various Sikh shrines.

When contacted the SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar vehemently denied all the allegations said that it was deep rooted conspiracy to hurdles for him when the elations of SGPC president on threshold being held on November 23.

Supporting his former Assistant Secretary Daljit Singh Bedi, Makkar ruled out any possibility for the involvement of Bedi for taking under table commission for the advertisements released in the various newspapers.

Talking about the appointments made in the Medical College being run by the SGPC Makkar said that certain objections were raised during inspection of MCI team. It was mandatory for the SGPC to make fresh appointments to remove the objection of understaffed labeled by MCI.