Patiala : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will initiate a probe into the alleged financial dealings of chairmen of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) and Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) in which the Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) has registered first information reports (FIRs).
While the Amritsar Improvement Trust chairman Dinesh Bassi was arrested, LIT chairman is on the run.
Besides this, the ED has also summoned record of Punjabi University case, wherein central grants was allegedly siphoned by clerical staff.
According to ED officials familiar with the development, the probe agency has sought copy of FIRs from the Punjab vigilance bureau. The ED has also sought details of investigation and financial transactions and role of officials in the financial irregularities, said officials.
The VB had on July 29 registered a criminal case against former chairman of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) Raman Balasubramanium and five other employees for allegedly committing fraud in allotment of plots. Besides Balasubramanium, those booked in the case include executive officer Kuljit Kaur, SDO Ankit Narang, sales clerk Parveen Kumar, clerk Gagandeep and PA to chairman Sandeep Sharma.
The VB FIR read that the LIT officials, by adopting corrupt practices, had allotted plots in SBS Nagar, Rishi Nagar and Sarabha Nagar, falling under local displaced persons (LDP) and other schemes of the trust, to unauthorised persons by getting huge amounts in bribe.
{{/usCountry}}The VB FIR read that the LIT officials, by adopting corrupt practices, had allotted plots in SBS Nagar, Rishi Nagar and Sarabha Nagar, falling under local displaced persons (LDP) and other schemes of the trust, to unauthorised persons by getting huge amounts in bribe.
{{/usCountry}}In the Amritsar Improvement Trust case, former chairman Dinesh Bassi was arrested by the VB on July 6. “Senior officials have asked us to give documents to the ED for investigate financial irregularities,” said a VB official.
The VB has also written to Punjabi University to supply a copy of the FIR and documents related to the ₹14-crore embezzlement of central grants. The role of a former professor, who worked as the director planning and monitoring, is also under the scanner. The clerical staff had siphoned the amount by presenting fake bills.
Punjabi University had unearthed the scam when vice-chancellor Dr Arvind took charge and got an FIR registered on August 1, 2021, on allegations of misappropriation of funds by employees, students and some outsiders. The allegations were of preparing forged and fabricated bills and securing release of huge amounts as scholarships.
“The ED Has sought records and financial transactions through which the grant was siphoned. I have directed officials to supply it at the earliest. We will not spare anyone, whosoever be involved,” said the V-C.