Demanded Rs 72L in Ludhiana Commissioner’s name, confesses civic body SE

The bail plea of Ludhiana MC Superintending Engineer Sanjay Kanwar, who demanded 10% commission from a contractor for getting the tender for the renovation of Nehru Rose Garden, was rejected on Monday. And after his arrest, many startling facts have come to light during his interrogation by the Vigilance Bureau.

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According to government records, Kanwar has accepted that 10% commission was demanded in the name of MC Commissioner Aaditya Dechalwal in exchange for a the tender worth Rs 8.80 crore to a contractor, Hitesh Agarwal, but the latter accepted to pay Rs 72 lakh. Of this amount, he was to get only Rs 8 lakh, while the rest of the amount was to go to the Commissioner, according to him.

The SE has also accepted that the voice in the audio clip demanding commission is his and the contractor’s. According to the confession, Kanwar has stated that he had bought a 200-yd plot at Badowal in 2005, for which he did not take the approval of the government and did not inform the department concerned. Apart from this, he also has a flat in Chandigarh.

While in Vigilance remand, he has also accepted that he has three vehicles, while two have been bought in the name of other people. He has also travelled abroad three times in 2024 and 2025. There are about six bank accounts and lockers in his and his wife’s name in Chandigarh and Mohali.

SE lying, misusing my name: Commissioner

Municipal Corporation Commissioner Aaditya Dechalwal has said that Sanjay Kanwar was lying to defend himself. The tender bid for the renovation of Rose Garden was opened in February. When it had been decided that the work order should be given to the firm that clears the bid, then it was beyond comprehension on what basis Kanwar was carrying out a commission deal to get the tender for some other contractor. According to the Commissioner, his name has been misused in this case.