Punjab: Vijay Singla’s OSD-cum-nephew Pradeep Kumar booked for graft
Chandigarh, May 24: Sacked Punjab minister Vijay Singla and his Nephew appointed as OSD, both of whom were arrested Tuesday on corruption charges, have been booked on a government officer’s complaint they demanded Rs 1.16-crore bribe from allotment of projects and a one per cent commission in all future contracts.
Superintending Engineer Rajinder Singh, who is posted at Punjab Health System Corporation on deputation, also alleged he was threatened his career will be destroyed, and said he eventually agreed to pay Rs 5 lakh to avoid the “mental harassment”.
He said he recorded the conversation that purportedly took place during this payment on May 23 and presented it to the police.
According to an FIR filed based on his complaint, Singh has said the minister’s OSD Pradeep Kumar called him to the Punjab Bhawan last month and told him he allotted construction projects worth Rs 41 crore, besides paying Rs 17 crore to contractors for March.
Kumar demanded Rs 1.16 crore as a bribe which was two percent of the total sum of Rs 58 crore, Singh has alleged in his complaint.
The superintending engineer also alleged he was asked to pay a one per cent commission on every future contracts. Singla and OSD Kumar have been booked under the relevant sections of the Punjab Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The case has been registered at Mohali Phase-8 police station.
Singla was one of the 10 MLAs inducted in the Bhagwant Mann-led cabinet after the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in March this year. He was sacked from the state Cabinet Tuesday and was also arrested, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asserting his government has zero-tolerance to corruption.
The sacked minister and his OSD were presented before a court and were remanded to three-day police custody.
Mann said Singla was demanding a one per cent commission from each tender on purchases by his department.
According to the FIR, Singh said he is posted as an SE at Punjab Health System Corporation on deputation and was called to the Punjab Bhawan by OSD Kumar a month back.
-PTC News
