13 years on, former PSPCL Deputy CE booked by VB

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 6

Following orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Vigilance Bureau (VB) has lodged an FIR against a retired Deputy Chief Engineer (CE) of Punjab State Power Corporation (PSPCL) and 15 other officials for allegedly making an excess payment of Rs 4.78 crore to a contractor in a 13-year-old case.

Though contractor VTL Vindya Tele Links has returned Rs 4.78 crore of excess payment along with Rs 1.62 crore as penalty, the Economic Offences Wing of the VB booked Parvinder Singh, a retired Deputy Chief Engineer of the PSPCL and 15 other officials under Sections 13 (1A) read with 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120-B of the IPC. Parvinder’s bail application was heard today in a Mohali court. The next date of hearing is October 11.

During his tenure as the PSPCL Additional Superintending Engineer in 2010, Parvinder was supervising the work of installation of power meters in the Hoshiarpur Circle. As per the contract, he was to pay 85 per cent of the amount only after getting reports of installation of 80 per cent of the material from his staff. But he allegedly did not comply with the conditions and made excess payment to the contractor before time.

Of 16 officials booked in the case, two are no longer alive.

A complaint regarding the matter is being pursued by Charandeep Singh Sandhu, who is also serving in the PSPCL. On his petition in the court, Justice Sanjiv Berry had on August 29, 2023, directed the VB Director to dispose of the matter in accordance with law after which the case was lodged.

The matter had been lingering on with the VB since 2019. Earlier, the court had directed the VB to conduct an inquiry within three months, but it was delayed. It was only after fresh orders were passed by the court that an FIR was lodged in this connection.

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