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Graft case: Arrested MC official claims Panipat ADC, two others took their share
As per vigilance sources, Kumar confessed before the vigilance team that Panipat additional deputy commissioner Vatsal Vashisht and two officers of municipal corporation’s account branch used to take their share from bribe taken in lieu of clearing the pending bills. It is also learnt that Kumar has been given one-year extension after his retirement.
Four days after a special team of the state vigilance bureau arrested Sudheer Kumar, the chief sanitary inspector of Panipat municipal corporation, for taking a bribe of ₹13.7 lakh from a private company to clear its pending dues, he is said to have named three other officials who were allegedly hand-in-glove with him.
As per vigilance sources, Kumar confessed before the vigilance team that Panipat additional deputy commissioner Vatsal Vashisht and two officers of municipal corporation’s account branch used to take their share from bribe taken in lieu of clearing the pending bills. It is also learnt that Kumar has been given one-year extension after his retirement.
The vigilance had arrested Kumar on Thursday night for demanding 10% commission as bribe to clear the pending bills of a private company, IND Sanitation Solutions, which has been given the contract of cleaning roads in Panipat town.
“During questioning, Kumar confessed that 4% of the commission went to former Panipat municipal commissioner Vatsal Vashisht, who is posted as Panipat ADC now, and 2% went to auditor Pradeep Punia and senior accounts officer Sunil Dahiya. Kumar himself used to take 2% of the commission amount and the remaining 2% was being distributed among other staff members. The 10% commission was being paid every month to clear the pending bills. All payments were being made through Sudheer Kumar,” officials revealed.
Vigilance officials said they will call Panipat ADC Vashisht, Punia and Sunil Dahiya for questioning in the case.
Panipat district and sessions court had given anticipatory bail to ADC Vashisht on Friday with directions to appear before the vigilance bureau by July 7 to join the investigation. The ADC had gone for a seven-day leave. The court had also granted bail to Punia and Dahiya against a bond of ₹50,000 each on June 23.
Narsingh Ahlawat, deputy superintendent of the vigilance bureau’s Rohtak range who led the raiding team, said the complainant was given the tender to ensure that roads within Panipat’s MC limits were clean. An employee of the company, however, approached the bureau to complain against Kumar. The complainant brought along audio call recordings in which Kumar was purportedly heard demanding a bribe to clear the dues from the accounts branch of Panipat MC.
In his complaint to the vigilance bureau, Chankit Dalal, administrative officer, IND Sanitation and Solution Company, said the tender for road sanitisation in Panipat, Rohtak, Bahadurgarh, Sonepat and Panchkula had been awarded to their company.
Sudhir reportedly spoke to Krishan Kumar, company director, on his cell phone and demanded 10% commission as bribe in lieu of passing the outstanding bills of ₹1.37 crore and further extending the tender, he said.
Panipat ADC Vatsal Vashisht could not be reached for a comment.
Activist PP Kapoor said senior accounts officer Sunil Dahiya, whose name has now surfaced in the case, had been transferred from Sonepat to Panipat municipal corporation and he may influence the probe. “Why is Dahiya being transferred to Panipat even though he is facing bribery charges. He may try to distort the evidence. Sudheer Kumar is also under scanner in connection with a project of garbage lifting from outside the houses and involvement of other officials could not be denied,” said Kapoor.
