Probe panel quizzes minister’s cook, CA

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 27

The Justice JS Narang Commission, which is probing the sand mining auctions scam, today questioned the employees of Power and Irrigation Minister Rana Gurjit Singh, who were awarded mining contracts worth crores of rupees despite having limited income. The minister has claimed that their services were dispensed with even before the mining auctions were held.

Official sources revealed that the employees -- cook Amit Bahadur and Kulwinder Pal Singh -- and the minister’s charted accountant (CA) deposed before the commission.

The sources said the commission first summoned the employees. They were questioned about their source of funding for mining projects. The employees claimed that were participating in the auction on the behalf of firms with which minister’s CA Sahil Singla of Kansal Singla Associates and Sanjit Randhawa, son of minister’s aide Captain JS Randhawa, were associated with.

While deposing before the commission, the CA mentioned names of a few financiers from whom they claimed to have received money on loan to participate in the auctions. Following this, the commission also summoned the financiers.

The sources said at present around 15 individuals claimed to be associated with these firms had been asked to appear before the commission.

The minister’s CA had also submitted some documents related to financial transactions to the commission.

The Tribune had, on May 25, highlighted how four employees of Rana Gurjit bagged mining contracts for four sites. Taking cognisance of the news report, the Chief Minister had constituted a one-member judicial commission of inquiry under Justice JS Narang.

Amit Bahadur had got the contract of mining site at Saidpur Khurd village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr) for Rs 26.51 crore; Kulwinder Paul Singh of Mehadipur quarry for Rs 9.21 crore; Gurinder Singh of Rampur Kalan site in Mohali district for Rs 4.11 crore; and Balraj Singh of a site at Bairsal village for Rs10.58 crore. Later, Balraj Singh and Gurinder Singh backed out at the time of depositing 55 per cent of the bidding amount. They were thus not allotted the sites.