CVO orders FIR against 8 Estate Office employees

CHANDIGARH: At least eight employees, including officers, of the Estate Office are in the dock with the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of the UT Administration today directing the Vigilance Department to register an FIR against them in the high-profile case involving a renowned automobile agency, which had allegedly constructed a building in violation of the building bylaws.

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 8

At least eight employees, including officers, of the Estate Office are in the dock with the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of the UT Administration today directing the Vigilance Department to register an FIR against them in the high-profile case involving a renowned automobile agency, which had allegedly constructed a building in violation of the building bylaws.

Sources said the direction had been issued on the basis of a report of a committee, headed by Home Secretary Arun Kumar Gupta, which had recommended action against them after scrutinising records and documents.

The Administration had formed the committee after the Vigilance Department, in its probe, named around 20 officers and employees of the Estate Office and the Architecture Department in the case. The committee was given the task of finding out who were responsible for the lapses.

Former Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Shayin had recommended a Vigilance probe into the case when the discrepancies came to his notice in the construction of the building.

The sources said in its probe, the Vigilance Department had found that the building was constructed after amalgamation of two plots owned by two persons.

According to the bylaws, the amalgamation of two industrial plots is allowed only in case the owners of two adjoining plots are the same. However, in this case, the names of the owners were found different in the records.

The sources said the plan approval committee, comprising officers of the Architecture Department, approved the original plan of the building and sent it to the Estate Office to be released to the owners. The committee, headed by the Home Secretary, concluded that it was the responsibility of the staff of the Estate Office to check the ownership of the plots and absolved the officials of the Architecture Department in the case.

The CVO has now directed the Vigilance Department to register an FIR against the staff concerned of the Estate Office under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

This is not the first time that the building branch staff of the Estate Office has faced a Vigilance probe. In the past also, some employees have faced Vigilance and CBI probes for lapses.