Contractor, 7 Punjab officers booked for Irrigation Dept scam

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 18

Exposing another major scam involving wrongful awarding of government work under the previous SAD-BJP regime, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau has booked eight persons for criminal cheating that caused a loss worth crores to the state exchequer through favoured and illegal tendering of Irrigation Department works. 

Those booked include contractor Gurinder Singh, three retired Chief Engineers, two serving Executive Engineers and a Sub-Divisional Officer of the Irrigation Department.

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The bureau has also initiated a probe against Pushpinder Garg, Chief Engineer (Canals), who is also the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of the Irrigation Department, for allegedly not initiating any action against Gurinder Singh despite receiving several complaints.

The bureau is also probing the role of contractor Pushpinder Singh Sidhu and Khara Contractors, who allegedly submitted false tenders in connivance with Gurinder.

Earlier, the bureau had booked and arrested Surinder Singh, an employee of the Punjab Mandi Board, for alleged wrong tendering through fake firms and causing loss to the government under the SAD-BJP regime.

During its poll campaign, the Congress had promised a probe into alleged corruption in development works under the SAD-BJP rule.

A vigilance spokesperson said an FIR was registered last night at the Vigilance police station, Mohali, against Gurinder Singh, contractor; Gulshan Nagpal, XEN; Paramjit Singh Ghuman, Chief Engineer (retired); Bajrang Lal Singla, XEN; Harvinder Singh, Chief Engineer (retired); Kaminder Singh Deol, SDO (retired); Gurdev Singh Minah, Chief Engineer (retired); and Vimal Kumar Sharma, Supervisor.

Some other officers/engineers/officials of the department had also been reportedly booked. 

The contractor had allegedly amassed huge wealth and acquired more than 30 properties worth Rs 100 crore illegally in Chandigarh, Mohali, Ludhiana, Patiala and Noida.

An inquiry has reportedly found that senior government officers misused their official positions in connivance with Gurinder Singh over the past seven-eight years, thereby causing a huge loss to the state. They allegedly twisted rules, drafted tailormade terms for e-tendering, besides leaking secret information to Gurinder as regards development works worth Rs 1,000 crore. These works were allotted to him at “10% to 50% higher rates” as compared to departmental rates.