PLOT ALLOTMENT SCAM UNDER LDP SCHEME : Vigilance registers case against four officials of Ludhiana Improvement Trust

Chandigarh September 16 : The Punjab Vigilance Bureau, during its campaign against corruption, on Friday registered another corruption case pertaining to allotment of residential plots in the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) under locally displaced persons’ (LDP) scheme against Boota Ram now Executive Engineer, Jagdev Singh Executive Engineer (XEN), Inderjeet Singh Junior Engineer, LIT, Mandeep Singh Junior Engineer of Municipal Corporation Ludhiana and Kamaldeep Singh, a private person, resident of Model Town Extension, Ludhiana. In this case Jagdev Singh XEN, Inderjeet Singh and Mandeep Singh (Both JEs) and Kamaldeep Singh have been arrested.

Disclosing this here today, the spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau (VB) said during investigation of case registered under FIR 8, dated 14.07.2022 under section 7, 7A the Prevention of Corruption Act and 120-B of IPC at VB Police Station, Economic Offences Wing, Ludhiana, it has been found that officials of the LIT with corrupt practices and in connivance with others had allotted residential plots to unauthorised persons under the LDP scheme. Though some of the allottees had already died but their plots were reallotted by the LIT officials to unauthorised persons violating prescribed rules and took huge bribe money from the beneficiaries.

Giving details he further informed that during this probe it has come on record that plot No 1544-D, in Model Town Extension, Ludhiana was allotted to a private person Kamaldeep Singh violating the rules. In this case Inderjeet Singh JE, Boota Ram Trust Engineer and Jasdeep Singh XEN, Mandeep Singh JE MC Ludhiana had prepared false/fabricated reports to the LIT regarding non availability of water and sewerage facilities in the above said locality.

With an aim to favour the allottee, the above mentioned officers/officials had waved off a non-construction fine amounting to Rs 27 lakh without getting approval from competent authority whereas it was required to be charged from the allottee thereby causing huge financial loss to the state exchequer.

The spokesperson further added that earlier to this a similar case under FIR No 09 under section 7, 7A, 8, 12, 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and under section 409, 420, 467, 471, 120-B of IPC had already been registered at VB Police Station, Economic Offences Wing, Ludhiana for allotment of plots under LDP scheme by getting huge bribes from the beneficiaries.

In this case investigation was being carried out against the officials of LIT which included Raman Balasubramanium, former chairman LIT, Kuljit Kaur EO, Ankit Narang SDO, Parveen Kumar sales clerk, Gagandeep clerk and Sandeep Sharma PA to former chairman. Among the above mentioned accused Sandeep Sharma PA, Parveen Kumar Clerk and Kuljit Kaur EO have already been arrested and lodged in judicial custody. Others were avoiding arrest as further investigation was under progress, he added.