Foodgrain tender scam: Punjab VB nabs another accused

In this regard, a case had already been registered against former food and civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, his PA Pankaj Kumar, alias Menu Malhotra, deputy director RK Singla, DFSC Rakesh Bhaskar, besides three contractors — Telu Ram, Yashpal, and Ajaypal — for committing this fraud and embezzlement, causing a huge loss to the state exchequer

The Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) arrested another accused, Yashpal of Udhanwal village in SBS Nagar, who was involved in committing a fraud regarding labour cartage and transport tenders in grain markets of SBS Nagar district, conniving with other contractors and officers/employees concerned of the Food and Civil Supplies department and procurement agencies.

The VB, after investigating this scam in the grain markets of SBB Nagar, had registered a case against the above-mentioned accused under Sections 420, 409, 467, 468, 471, 120-B, and Sections 7, 8, 12, 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

In this regard, a case had already been registered against former food and civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, his PA Pankaj Kumar, alias Menu Malhotra, deputy director RK Singla, DFSC Rakesh Bhaskar, besides three contractors — Telu Ram, Yashpal, and Ajaypal — for committing this fraud and embezzlement, causing a huge loss to the state exchequer.

Disclosing this on Sunday, the spokesperson of the VB said the VB, after investigating this scam in the grain markets of SBB Nagar, had registered a case against the above-mentioned accused under Sections 420, 409, 467, 468, 471, 120-B, and Sections 7, 8, 12, 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

He said during the tenders for labour cartage and transport in the grain markets for wheat/paddy/stock articles in 2020-2021, Honey Kumar, the proprietor of RS co-operative labour and construction society, had submitted tenders for Nawanshahr and Rahon clusters, and another entity PG Godown had filed tenders for Nawanshahr only at basic tender rates but were rejected by the department without any basis. The tenders were awarded to contractor Telu Ram for the Nawanshahr cluster at 71% higher rate and the Rahon cluster at 72% higher rates. Later, the tenders were called for 2022-23 and Honey Kumar again submitted tenders at basic rates for labour works in the Rahon cluster and Nawanshahr cluster from his above-said firms, but the district tender allocation committee rejected his bids and allotted tenders to contractor Ajaypal at 73% higher rates for the works in the Nawanshahr cluster and 72% higher in the Rahon cluster, he added.

The spokesperson further said contractors Telu Ram and Yashpal, at the time of filling the tenders for 2020-21, and contractor Ajaypal during 2020-21 and 2022-23, have attached online lists regarding the registration numbers of vehicles for the transportation of goods, which were verified by the respective district transport authorities. During the investigation, it was found that in these lists, a large number of vehicles such as scooters, motorcycles, cars, pickups, tractor-trailers, close body trucks, LPG tankers, and harvesters, etc., were mentioned, whereas the food grains could not be transported on such vehicles.

During the probe, it has been established that along with the registration numbers of fake vehicles mentioned in the gate passes, the details of the quantity of food grains are prima facie a case of fake reporting and embezzlement shown in these gate passes. He said the officials/employees concerned of the department had also paid amounts to the said contractors for the work done without verifying these fake gate passes.

He further revealed that apart from this, on checking the photocopies of Aadhaar cards of the labour provided by the said contractors during the tender process, it was found that majority of them were either minors or elders with an age above 60 years, and Aadhaar cards of some were not readable. According to the facts, the district tender committee should have rejected the technical bid of the contractors concerned, which was not done. But the officials/employees concerned of the Food and Civil Supplies department and respective procurement agencies, in connivance with each other, have committed this fraud in the labour cartage and transport tenders. On the basis of this probe, this case has been registered against the above-mentioned accused.

He further said four accused in this case — Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Menu Malhotra, Telu Ram and Yashpal — have been arrested so far, and the remaining absconding accused would be arrested soon. DFSC Rakesh Bhaskar had already passed away. The VB had already initiated proceedings against RK Singla in the competent court to declare him a proclaimed offender, he said.