-1- Civil Writ Petition No.1159 of 2006. IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATES OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH ... Date of Decision: April 25, 2008. Ram Kumar ... Petitioner VERSUS State of Haryana and others ... Respondents CORAM : HON'BLE MR.JUSTICE HEMANT GUPTA. HON'BLE MR.JUSTICE MOHINDER PAL. 1. Whether Reporters of Local papers may be allowed to see the judgment ? 2. To be referred to the Reporters or not ? 3. Whether the judgment should be reported in the Digest ? Present: Mr. Vivek Sakhun, Advocate, for Mr.Harkesh Manuja, Advocate, for the petitioner. Mr.Ajay Gupta, Senior Deputy Advocate General, Haryana, for respondents Nos.1, 3 to 5. None for respondents Nos.2 and 6 -.- MOHINDER PAL, J. The petitioner was appointed as a `Chowkidar' on work-charged basis in Public Health Department, Division No.2, Faridabad on December 29,1972. Thereafter, he was promoted as -2- Civil Writ Petition No.1159 of 2006. Water Pump Operator on work-charged basis and his services were regularized as such. On March 31, 1977, the petitioner had been transferred to the office of Executive Engineer, Haryana Urban Development Authority, Division No.2, Faridabad (hereinafter referred to as `H.U.D.A'). Since then, he is working there. For the purpose of granting benefit of 2nd Assured Career Progression Scale, service book of the petitioner had been sent to the office of Superintending Engineer, H.U.D.A (Rohtak Circle). It is averred in the petition that on May 21, 2002, when the petitioner was bringing his service book from Rohtak Circle, someone snatched the polythene bag held by him, which contained the service book, considering it to be containing some valuables. He lodged an F.I.R in this regard. His service book could not be located. The petitioner requested both the respondent-Departments to recast his service book as the benefits of 2nd Assured Career Progression Scale and the annual increments from the year 2001 onwards were not being disbursed in the absence of the service book, but to no effect. The petitioner sent legal notices in this regard to both the departments i.e Public Health Department and H.U.D.A, which also remained unheeded as they continued shifting onus of reconstructing the service book to each other. Hence this writ petition. In the short reply dated February 11, 2008, filed by -3- Civil Writ Petition No.1159 of 2006. the Executive Engineer, Public Health Department, Construction Division No.11, Sonepat, it has been pleaded that the service book of the petitioner for the period he remained in the Public Health Department from December 29, 1972 to March 03, 1977 had been re-constructed and despatched to the Executive Engineer, H.U.D.A, Division No.2, Faridabad vide memo No.3470 dated April 17, 2006. In the written statement dated November 16, 2007, filed by the Executive Engineer, H.U.D.A, Sonepat, where the petitioner is presently working, it was stated that the petitioner should, in the first instance, approach the Public Health Department, where he had joined the service, and get his service book re-constructed. The subsequent entries were to be made by the office of H.U.D.A. It was further stated that subsequent entries would be made after the earlier entries were completed by the Public Health Department. As stated above, since the service book of the petitioner for the period from December 29, 1972 to March 03, 1977 during which period he remained in the Public Health Department has been re-constructed and despatched to the Executive Engineer, H.U.D.A, Division No.2, Faridabad, we dispose of this writ petition with a direction to respondents Nos.2 and 6 to complete the service book of the petitioner within three weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order. If any payment in respect of increments etc. has -4- Civil Writ Petition No.1159 of 2006. been withheld on account of absence of service book, the same be made to the petitioner forthwith after re-constructing his service book. ( HEMANT GUPTA ) ( MOHINDER PAL ) JUDGE JUDGE April 25, 2008. ak