E-Paper
Corruption allegation: Inquiry against ex-CMD of UPPHC likely to expedite
Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta office asks two-member enquiry committee comprising two DG rank IPS officers to submit report by May end
Long pending inquiry against retired IPS officer and former chief managing director (CMD), U.P. Police Housing Corporation (UPPHC), Hari Ram Sharma is likely to expedite as the state Lokayukta office has asked the Uttar Pradesh DGP to direct the two members committee, which was set up to probe the allegations against Sharma, to submit its report by the end of this month.
A senior government official said an Allahabad high court lawyer complained the matter to Lokayukta office in May 2022, accusing the then CMD of UPPHC Hari Ram Sharma of allowing tender for construction of Reserve Police Lines in Kasganj district worth ₹80 crore to a company against the norms.
He said the complainant had alleged that the company didn’t even have the capacity to do work worth ₹10 crore but the tender was passed in its favour by the then CMD. Sharma, an additional director general rank IPS officer of 1993 batch, served as the CMD of UPPHC from August 2019 till his retirement in July 2022.
The inquiry has been pending against him for past one year even after multiple reminders sent by the Lokayukta office in this regard. The Lokayukta is an anti-corruption ombudsman in Uttar Pradesh that functions as a statutory authority probing cases primarily related to corruption, government mismanagement or abuse of power by public servants or ministers.
The official further said the complaint of the alleged corruption is pending with Uplokayukta (retired judge) DK Singh. The official also said the inquiry committee comprising two director-general rank IPS officers—DG (special inquiry) Chandra Prakash and DG (fire services) Avinash Chandra—was formed by the DGP headquarters in December 2022 only after multiple reminders.
Thereafter, the committee didn’t submit its report in this connection, he added. He said senior member of the inquiry committee Chandra Prakash is scheduled to retire in May end and the Uplokayukta office has sent the reminder to the committee to submit its report before it.
