Vigilance swings into action

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 17

The UT Vigilance Department today swung into action after Chandigarh Tribune reported on a purported audio conversation between the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of the local Municipal Corporation and the Director of Selvel Media about escaping payment of Rs 26-crore advertisement fee and penalty to the civic body by offering money to senior officers.

Senior officials of the Vigilance today opened the concerned complaint file and are calling the complainant with all evidence related to the case.

Having inspected the report, BL Sharma, Secretary, Vigilance, told Chandigarh Tribune, “We are writing to the complainant in this regard.”

The complainant had sent an audio CD of the conversation and the complaint to MC Commissioner KK Yadav’s residence through a registered post in September. Later, a complaint, along with a copy of the audio, was sent to UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore and it finally got marked to the Vigilance and the MC Commissioner.

Yadav claimed, “I checked with the dispatch department. We had only got a complaint and no audio CD was received. On the basis of this, we had sent a communication to the complainant’s address at Jalalabad in Ferozepur, but we did not get any response.”

In the audio recording, supposedly done inside the office of OSD Surender Kumar Sharma, he advises Selvel director Bishwadeep Dutta, an accused in a CBI case pertaining to a tender, ways to settle the arrears and penalty on account of unpaid fee for advertisements his company displayed on toilets set up by it.

Sharma is also heard telling the director if the Commissioner is with him, the amount can be waived besides suggesting him to go for arbitration in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. This despite the fact that a Double Bench of the court had last year stayed the Single Bench order of arbitration.

The OSD denied the allegations when senior officers today sought explanation from him following the news report.

Reacting to the story, Selvel stated that the ‘fabricated’ audio was made to malign its image. No such appeal under Section 39 was filed with the Finance Secretary for settling the matter since September when the audio, as per the news, came out. The firm further claimed, “...not a single word/line has been mentioned as to how the undersigned (director) was involved in the same as all contents mentioned in the news are being “purportedly” advised by the OSD...”

Excerpts from purported conversation

OSD Surender Kumar Sharma: ..26 cr se zero karna bada muskhil hai...sabse bade defaulter ho aap...upar ke officer kabu karne padenge...commissioner chahe khud arbitration me le ke kar de

... Finance Secretary ko appeal daalni hai...appeal daloge (Rs) 42 se 45 lakh de ke, uske upar agar 10, 20, 50 lakh le leta hai fir bhi aap 1 cr ke andar ho...appeal mein Saurabh (additional commissioner) ya KK (Commissioner) ko mat bulana...

...yeh itna masla nahi hai mere 20 lakh banante hai...

...KK Yadav apke sath hai toh baki baatein maaf hai..

...Iske ilava (Rs) 10-20 lakh officer ko upar se de kar chhutkara ho toh karva lo, I will recommend 

...Satyameva Jayate ke chakar me rahoge toh kuch nahi hoga..

Selvel director: Thik hai (before he discusses the matter further)