E-Paper
Ludhiana | VB files case for allotting transportation tenders on fake vehicle registration numbers, 1 held
VB registered a case against the owner/partners of Gurdas Ram and Company as well as officials of the state food and civil supplies department and employees of procurement agencies concerned for committing irregularities in accepting labour, cartage and transportation tenders for grain markets in Ludhiana district
Ludhiana The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Tuesday registered a case against the owner/partners of Gurdas Ram and Company as well as officials of the state food and civil supplies department and employees of procurement agencies concerned for committing irregularities in accepting labour, cartage and transportation tenders for grain markets in Ludhiana district.
Accused proprietor Telu Ram of Udhanwal village, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, has been arrested by the Vigilance Bureau range, Ludhiana.
A spokesperson of the State Vigilance Bureau said a case under Sections 420, 409, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC and 7, 8, 12 and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against Telu Ram, Jagroop Singh and Sandeep Bhatia, proprietors of above mentioned private firm besides government officials.
The spokesperson said that during the investigation by the bureau, it has been found that at the time of submitting tenders for 2020-21 with regard to labour, cartage and transportation works in Ludhiana district, the lists of vehicles submitted by the above-mentioned contractors were containing registration numbers of scooters, motorcycles, cars and other vehicles, which were not verified by officials concerned of district tender committee due to criminal connivance with each other. He added that as per the policy of the department, it was mandatory for the committee to reject the technical bid for the above-mentioned reason but the same was not done.
The spokesperson said the in-gate passes pertaining to loading and unloading of foodgrains and the registration numbers of vehicles used for the carriage have been found to be of scooters, motorcycles, and cars as such vehicles cannot transport goods.
He added that details of the registration numbers of the said vehicles as well as the quantity of the commodity mentioned in the gate passes prima facie appears to be a case of fake reporting and embezzlement of the foodgrains mentioned in these gate passes.
He said that on the basis of these gate passes, the department officials have made payments to Telu Ram, contractor, Jagroop Singh, partner of Gurdas Ram and Company, and Sandeep Bhatia, contractor, without verifying the same.
The bureau has registered a case against the above-mentioned persons as well as department officials accused of submitting and accepting fake documents, conniving for committing misappropriation and fake transportation of goods. Further investigation is in progress.
