Ropar ADC in dock for ‘embezzlement’

Arun Sharma

Tribune News Service

Ropar, March 29

Ropar Additional Deputy Commissioner (development) Satish Vashisht is in dock over purchasing items for the zila parishad office and dispensaries as the Mulazim Front of Punjab lodging a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner has sought an inquiry into it.

Senior vice-president of the front Harmesh Singh Dhiman, who led a delegation to the DC in this regard yesterday, said, “The zila parishad has bought items worth more than Rs 1 crore between May 2016 and December 2016 without inviting any bids from suppliers.” Alleging serious irregularities in purchases and misuse of public money, he said in case no inquiry was conducted in the case then the front members would stage a dharna.

Vashishth, however, denied the allegations stating that there was no requirement of inviting bids as the purchases were made from government shops. He said an accountant in his office was not stable mentally and was misguiding people in this regard.

The purchases were made from Kendriya Bhandar at Zirakpur, National Federation of Farmers Procurement Processing and Retailing Cooperative of India at Mohali and a private dealer of Sangrur. The suppliers did not mention the brand of the item in the bill. The only things mentioned in the bill are name, quantity and the cost of the item.

A perusal of the bills against purchases made by the zila parishad revealed that many items were purchased at more than 12 times the market rate.

Sixty glucometers has been purchased at a cost of Rs 4,850 each. A dustbin has cost zila parishad Rs 2,450. Similarly, each of 30 pieces of RO systems have been purchased for Rs 66,500. Ropar DC Gurneet Tej said she had received the complaint and an inquiry would be conducted soon.