Former IAS officer to probe role of ex-EOs in property scam

Raj Sadosh

Abohar, February 26

The state government today appointed Ramesh Chander Nayyar, a retired IAS officer, to probe the role of three former executive officials of the Abohar Municipal Council in connection with a property scam.

Local Bodies Principal Secretary A Venu Prasad today issued the order appointing Nayyar as inquiry officer.

Nayyar had served as Deputy Commissioner, Ferozepur, before his elevation to the state secretariat.

The order reads that Jagsir Singh Dhaliwal, Bhushan Aggarwal and Bhushan Rana, who served as EOs at Abohar, were issued chargesheets on August 10, 2017. The trio had submitted their replies. To inquire into the charges, Nayyar has now been appointed as the inquiry officer.

The department had informed on August 28 last that chargesheets had been served to three former Executive Officers (EOs) in connection with Rs 71 lakh property scam that came to light in 2010. The action was taken on the basis of inquiries conducted by the Deputy Director, Local Bodies, and Regional Deputy Director of the Local Funds Departments.

The Retired Employees’ Welfare Association had submitted a complaint in which it had alleged that the MC staff had tampered with the conditions laid for the auction of MC commercial property on Nai Sadak held on August 20, 2010, by allegedly forging the signatures of former MC president Shivraj Goyal and former EO Jagsir Singh Dhaliwal to illegally benefit allottees.

The scam pertains to the auction of 13 commercial plots on Nai Sadak opposite the SP’s residence. In the forged copy, the rate of interest was reduced from 18 per cent to seven per cent, transfer fee from three percent to one per cent and the clause for 10 per cent extra charges against the corner plot was removed.