Plot allotment scam: Former LIT trustees too under VB lens

Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 1

After arrests of Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) Executive Officer Kuljinder Kaur, PA to the Chairman Sandeep Sharma and some other officials and employees by the Vigilance Bureau (VB) in a case of corruption, subsequent interrogation of the arrested LIT officials and employees has revealed the dubious role of some former trustees, appointed by the erstwhile Congress government.

Though sleuths of the VB claimed that interrogation of arrested LIT officials and clerk was at a preliminary stage and they were being produced in the court today again to seek extension of their police custody, sources revealed that in the matter related to some six residential plots in the locally displaced persons (LDP) category, names of some erstwhile trustees had also figured and the VB might summon them soon for questioning and follow-up action, if warranted.

It is a statutory requirement that for any allotment of residential plot or commercial site made by the LIT under any category, a resolution had to be adopted in the Trust meeting (in the presence of trustees), which was later sent to the government for approval.

The VB officials had reportedly learnt during the interrogation of the Executive Officer and staff members of the LIT that the trustees had sought favours from the then chairman Raman Balasubramanium in lieu of their consent given for the allotment of LDP plots for which the then chairman and other officials were said to have taken huge bribes.

It was further learnt that accusing fingers were also pointed by LIT officials under VB custody at certain senior officials of the Local Government, Punjab, posted at Chandigarh in the matter of allotment of plots under the LDP category, some other dubious decisions taken by the former chairman such as carving out residential plots in the green belt, change of land use of land reserved for school/community centre and even in the sale of commercial sites during e-auction.

SSP (Vigilance) Rupinderpal Singh, however, said it was too early to make any comment on information provided by the arrested officials of the LIT. “We are examining files and relevant records and questioning was still incomplete, which necessitated seeking more remand for intensive interrogation,” he said.