LIT official faces corruption charges

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, June 4

Close on the heels of the questionable manner in which a 400 square yards residential plot, allegedly under litigation, was allotted by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) to another person under the locally displaced person (LDP) category, another allottee has levelled charges of corruption against the executive officer of the Trust for deliberate delay in transfer of property and registration of sale deed.

In a complaint to the LIT chairman, along with a sworn affidavit, a city resident, Raj Kumar, has alleged that Harinder Singh Chahal, EO of the Trust, had demanded a bribe of Rs 1,50,000 for clearing a file pertaining to transfer of property and registration of sale deed of the said property.

The complainant further charged the Trust official with misbehaviour and issuing threats to him. Copies of the complaint have also been forwarded to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, Punjab Minister for Local Bodies Anil Joshi, Principal Secretary, Local Government, Punjab, Director, Local Bodies, Punjab, in addition to the Punjab Vigilance Bureau and the Chief Vigilance Officer of Local Government, Punjab.

LIT chairman RK Popli confirmed having received the complaint and said the same had been forwarded to the Principal Secretary, Local Government, Punjab, for “necessary action as per law”.

Chahal, however, refuted the allegations levelled against him as incorrect and motivated.

He said the complainant, Raj Kumar, was neither an allottee nor an applicant for transfer of any property of the LIT in his name. He asserted that false allegations being levelled against him seemed to be part of an attempt by property dealers and “middlemen” to build pressure on the LIT staff to get their work done.

Meanwhile, Munish Chopra, who had staged a protest against the LIT officials here yesterday against the allotment of a plot by draw of lot to another person under the LDP category, today maintained that the officials concerned, including the EO, were aware that the said plot (60-E in Maharishi Valmiki Nagar) was under litigation.

He said the case (RSA 2222/2009) titled Munish Chopra versus Hardev Kaur and others was pending with the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The notice for the next date of hearing on August 25, 2015 had duly been received by the Trust officials, he claimed.

Chopra has filed a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner and senior officials of the Local Government Department, Punjab, demanding a thorough probe into the “irregular” allotment of plot and dubious role played by senior officials in this regard.