Inquiry begins into embezzlement of funds in Tarn Taran MC

Tarn Taran, April 4

An eight-member team of the Local Government Department initiated inquiry into the embezzlement of funds released to the local Municipal Council by the state and the Union governments.

A complaint in this regard was submitted to the Chief Secretary of the state government by local AAP MLA Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal.

The team reached the Municipal Council office early on Monday, which was headed by Rajiv Shekhri, Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO).

Executive Officer (EO) Sharabjit Kaur, however, was not present. Maninder Singh Patanga, inspector-cum-in-charge in the absence of the EO, said he was unaware of the whereabouts of the EO.

Maninder said the team was given the requisite records by the heads of the branch concerned.

According to the information, the council got grants worth Rs30 crore in the last five-year tenure of the previous state government. CVO Rajiv Shekheri said though the exact amount of the embezzlement has not been calculated so far, in the initial stage it was found that cheques were released in the name of those firms that did not even exist.

Sources said more than Rs5 crore is estimated to be the part of the embezzlement.

The team will submit its report to the Principal Secretary of the department soon and further action would be taken accordingly.

Ranjish Arora, SDM-cum-administrator of the Nagar Council, said he, too, had written a letter to the department in this regard suspecting some embezzlement as the Executive Officer was not producing requisite records which were to be verified.