Chandigarh, Sept. 26 -- In a move that opens Punjab's 136 privately managed government-aided colleges to statewide scrutiny, the Punjab State Information Commission (PSIC) has directed the higher education department to initiate disciplinary action against its three officials for failing to ensure timely salary payments and furnish requested records.

Records show that Punjab's 136 privately managed aided colleges have around 3,568 sanctioned teaching posts and 2,473 non-teaching posts, totalling more than 6,000 sanctioned positions.

While passing the order, chief information commissioner Inderpal Singh ordered the constitution of a statewide monitoring committee to oversee timely salary disbursements and statutory deduction deposits acr...