The Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) has claimed to have unearthed another scam regarding fraud in labour cartage, transport tenders and works in grain markets by the contractors in conniving with concerned officers/employees in Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar. A case has been registered against three contractors on Friday at the VB Police Station Jalandhar, for allegedly committing fraud and embezzlement causing huge loss to the state exchequer. The accused have been identified as Telu Ram, Yashpal and Ajaypal from village Udhanwal in Balachaur sub division of SBS Nagar district. The role of other tenderers and government officials of the district will be probed during the investigation of the case as alleged in the complaint in this regard.
In the official statement, vigilance bureau said that it was also come to light that Telu Ram, Yashpal and Ajaypal, the accused in the above case, have purchased many properties in the name of themselves and their families by committing such scams, which would be thoroughly investigated during the investigation. The accused contractor Telu Ram is already in jail due to his arrest in a similar case registered by VB Ludhiana while the raids are being conducted to arrest the remaining two accused, Yashpal and Ajaypal.
The spokesperson said during the tenders for labour cartage and transport in the grain markets for wheat/paddy/stock articles in the year 2020-2021, Honey Kumar, proprietor of RS Co-operative labour and construction Society had submitted tenders for Nawanshahr and Rahon clusters and P.G. Gadown firm had filed tenders for Nawanshahr only at basic tender rates but both were rejected without any basis and the tenders were awarded to contractor Telu Ram for Nawanshahr cluster at 71 percent higher rate and Rahon cluster at 72 percent higher rate.
Later, the tenders called for the year 2022-23, Honey Kumar again submitted tenders at basic rate for labour works in Rahon and Nawanshahr clusters through his above said societies, but the district tender allocation committee rejected his bid and allotted labour tenders to contractor Ajaypal at 73 percent more for the works in Nawanshahr cluster and 72 percent more in the Rahon cluster, he added. The spokesperson further said the contractors Telu Ram and Yashpal at the time of filling the tenders for the year 2020-21 and contractor Ajaypal during the year 2020-21 and 2022-23 has attached online lists regarding the registration numbers of vehicles for transportation of goods which were verified by the VB from respective district transport authorities. It has come to light 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, he added. The case has been registered under section 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and relevant sections of the prevention of corruption Act at Police Station VB, Jalandhar.
{{/usCountry}}Later, the tenders called for the year 2022-23, Honey Kumar again submitted tenders at basic rate for labour works in Rahon and Nawanshahr clusters through his above said societies, but the district tender allocation committee rejected his bid and allotted labour tenders to contractor Ajaypal at 73 percent more for the works in Nawanshahr cluster and 72 percent more in the Rahon cluster, he added. The spokesperson further said the contractors Telu Ram and Yashpal at the time of filling the tenders for the year 2020-21 and contractor Ajaypal during the year 2020-21 and 2022-23 has attached online lists regarding the registration numbers of vehicles for transportation of goods which were verified by the VB from respective district transport authorities. It has come to light 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, he added. The case has been registered under section 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and relevant sections of the prevention of corruption Act at Police Station VB, Jalandhar.
{{/usCountry}}