Abohar, August 31: Three former executive officials of the Municipal Council here have been indicted for carelessness, negligence and causing financial loss to the council in a property scam that was raised by then Leader of Opposition Sunil Jakhar in the Vidhan Sabha also. While the previous government took no action, Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu had assured to get it investigated.
The Vigilance Bureau had registered a case on March 9, 2016, under Sections 409, 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC and Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. A special report was submitted on February 6, but an FIR was registered only against Jaspal Singh, clerk, and ex-president Shivraj Goyal. However, both got bail from different courts.
The MC had recently passed a resolution to reinstate Jaspal, approval for which has been sought from the Director, Local Bodies.
The government on February 26 had appointed Dr Ramesh Chander Nayyar, a retired IAS officer, to probe the role of three former executive officials of the Abohar Municipal Council in connection with a property scam.
In his five-page report, Dr Nayyar has indicted Jagsir Singh Dhaliwal, Bhushan Aggarwal and Bhushan Singh Rana, who served as EOs in Abohar. They were earlier issued chargesheets on August 10, 2017. The trio appeared before Dr Nayyar and tried to plead not guilty. The inquiry report also questions the role of the resident auditors who ignored the misdeeds.
The Rs 71-lakh property scam came to light in 2010. The matter was initially investigated by the Deputy Director, Local Bodies, and Regional Deputy Director of the Local Funds Departments.
The Retired Employees’ Welfare Association had submitted a complaint in which it had alleged that the MC staff had tampered with the conditions laid for the auction of MC commercial property on Nai Sadak in 2010. Shivraj Goyal of the BJP was president then and Dhaliwal served as executive officer. In the forged copy of conditions, the rate of interest was reduced from 18 per cent to 7 per cent, transfer fee from 3 per cent to one per cent and the clause for 10 per cent extra charges against the corner plot was removed.
The report said Rana showed extraordinary interest in transfer of a plot and getting the sale deed registered. The pre-audit wing in the council delayed action by issuing requisition only after Rana left the charge of EO.
Source Tribune India
