Another GMADA official held on graft charge

Our Correspondent

Mohali, June 23

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has arrested a senior assistant of GMADA on a charge of taking Rs 50,000 as bribe from a land owner.

In the first 100 days of the Congress government, this is the third GMADA official who has been arrested on graft charges. Earlier, its former Chief Engineer Surinder Pal Singh, alias Pehalwan, was arrested  on June 9 and Estate Office Superintendent NP Singh on April 27.

A Vigilance Bureau spokesperson today identified the official arrested as Kiran Pal Kataria, who worked in the Estate Office of GMADA. 

According to the bureau, Karam Singh, a resident of Bakarpur, had said that his land  in Naraingarh Jhugian and that of others was acquired for Aerocity by GMADA. As  per the land pooling scheme for the project, Karam Singh and the others were to get a residential plot measuring 500 sq yd and a commercial plot of 60 sq yd.

Karam Singh was representing the others and following up the case with Kataria. The bureau spokesperson said  Karam Singh alleged that Kataria said the work of allotting the plots would take a long time and objections could be raised by senior officials. He allegedly demanded Rs 2 lakh for getting the work done, but a “deal” was struck for 

Rs 1.50 lakh. The first instalment of the amount was allegedly fixed at Rs 50,000. 

 The bureau alleged that Inspector Inderpal Singh and his team caught Kataria red-handed while accepting the amount in the presence of two witnesses. 

A case was registered at the Vigilance police station here under Sections 7 and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.