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PSPCL on VB radar: Third graft case comes to fore this month
Vigilance sleuths held an assistant junior engineer for accepting Rs 2,000 bribe.
Following the arrest of seven employees, the field staff of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is on the radar of the vigilance bureau. All seven were nabbed for allegedly taking graft in three different cases.
On Saturday, the VB sleuths apprehended PCPCL’s assistant junior engineer Sukjinder Gir while accepting bribe of Rs 2,000. The accused was posted at a power grid at Rohar Jageer village of the district.
A vigilance bureau spokesperson said, “Complainant Ranjit Singh, of Pathan Majra village, had approached the PSPCL office to get an electricity transformer shifted from his agricultural land, but the accused demanded bribe money to shift the transformer.”
Following a complaint, VB sleuths laid a trap and caught the assistant junior engineer red-handed, with two official witnesses. Investigation officer (IO) Pritpal Singh said that the accused has confessed that in the past, he had taken a bribe of Rs 3,000 to change the main switch and jumper of the same transformer.
A case has been registered against him under the Punjab Prevention of Corruption Act. The accused was produced before the court that sent him to police custody.
Past graft incidents
On May 16, four persons including two officials and a lineman of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) were booked for demanding a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a farmer at Ghagga village in the district. The sleuths of vigilance bureau had arrested accused Rakesh Kumar, who is a lineman with the PSPCL, and Deepak Kumar, who acted as a mediator, while accepting the graft.
On deposition of both the accused, the VB have booked sub-divisional officer (SDO) Davinder Kumar and junior engineer Karamjit Singh, under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The three PSPCL employees were posted at the Patran sub-division. The accused were demanding money for allotting a new power connection at the complainant’s flour mill.
On May 11, two officials and a lineman of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) were booked for demanding a bribe of Rs 33,500 from a shopkeeper in Patiala. The sleuths of vigilance bureau had arrested one of the accused, Harnek Singh, who is a junior engineer with the PSPCL, while accepting the graft.
On Harnek’s deposition, the VB had booked sub-divisional officer (SDO) Joga Singh and lineman Darshan Singh, under the Prevention of Corruption Act. All three were posted at PSPCL’s Ghamrauda office in Nabha sub-division.
