Chandigarh Housing Board official arrested for accepting ₹10,000 bribe

Senior assistant arrested on the complaint of a Manimajra resident who was asked by the accused to pay the bribe for a transfer certificate

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday arrested a senior assistant at the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) office for accepting ₹10,000 as bribe from a Manimajra resident to issue him a property transfer certificate.

Senior assistant Shamsher Singh demanded ₹10,000 to issue the transfer letter by Chandigarh Housing Board, following which he lodged a complaint with CBI. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The accused, Shamsher Singh, was arrested on the complaint of Sukhjeet Singh.

In his complaint, Sukhjeet stated that his father and wife owned a house in Modern Housing Complex, Manimajra. He had applied for a no-objection certificate (NOC) and transfer letter that was required for the property’s sale deed.

After he deposited the requisite fee with CHB, he was issued the NOC on March 30. But senior assistant Shamsher Singh demanded ₹10,000 to issue the transfer letter, following which he lodged a complaint with CBI.

A trap was laid on Wednesday and Shamsher was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe from the complainant at the CHB office in Sector 9.

He was booked under Prevention of Corruption Act and will be produced before court on Thursday.

It may be mentioned that CHB on March 31 had received a complaint that some e-files had been kept pending by its officials beyond reasonable time.

As all e-files are processed through e-office, the matter was immediately inquired and the complaint was found to be true. This was followed by show-cause notices against the officials concerned, including Shamsher Singh.

“CHB has a zero tolerance policy against corruption and always takes strict action in such instances. In the present case also, exemplary action will be taken after following the due process so that it may act as a deterrent for other officials to stay away from such shameful activities,” said Yashpal Garg, chief executive officer, CHB.

On April 12, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested Devinder Kumar Sharma, a section officer of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), for accepting a ₹1.5 lakh bribe from a booth owner to issue him the no-dues certificate (NDC).