Nalagarh officer booked for graft

Solan, October 17

A team of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau caught a Social Education and Block Planning Officer of Nalagarh red-handedly while accepting a bribe of Rs 8,000 from a contractor in his office in lieu of releasing his bills of catering and tenting this afternoon. A case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act had been registered against Social Education and Block Planning Officer Sanjay Verma at Baddi and probe was underway, said bureau SP Anjum Ara.

The complainant, who operates a tent and catering house at Chowkiwala village, had provided service to two Jan Manch events held at Diggal on April 3 and at Ramshehar on May 1.

Verma headed a committee formed by the Nalagarh BDO to make seating and lunch arrangements for the two events. An expenditure of Rs 7.77 lakh was incurred on making these arrangements. Verma had allegedly sought illegal gratification for passing the bills. He was, however, given a payment of only Rs 4.58 lakh and Verma asked for Rs 10,000 to clear the entire bill. Following this, the aggrieved contractor lodged a complaint with the bureau yesterday. The bureau sleuths laid a trap and caught him red-handed with the bribe money today.