Ex-sarpanch gets notice for ‘embezzling’ panchayat funds

Fatehgarh Sahib, February8

The district administration has detected an embezzlement of panchayat funds worth Rs 1.62 crore in Kotla Bhai Ka village, the native village of former Deputy Speaker Bir Devinder Singh.

It was found that former sarpanch Navreet Singh in connivance with the then two Block Development Panchayat Officers (BDPOs) of the Khera block and two Panchayat Secretaries allegedly embezzled panchayat funds in their tenure. Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Jagwinderjit Singh Sandhu has issued a notice to Navreet, Baljinder Singh Grewal (now a BDPO at Dera Bassi), Jasbir Singh Minhas (now an ETO), Rajinder Kumar and Bahadur Singh.

Sandhu said they got a complaint against Navreet that he and others embezzled panchayat funds as the panchayat received Rs 3.72 crore from the Railways in lieu of land acquisition. Probe report said panchayat funds worth Rs 1.61 crore have been embezzled and bogus bills of the same amount were generated.