Minister orders action after Rs 25L solar lights scam unearthed in Khanna

Punjab’s Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond ordered strict action after a scam involving Rs 25 lakh in the installation of solar lights came to the fore in the Khanna block.

The minister stated that Bhupinder Singh Bhinda had secured a tender amounting to Rs 1 crore through his son Jasdev Singh to carry out solar light installations in 20 villages of the Khanna block.

Investigations have confirmed irregularities amounting to Rs 24.52 lakh in the project. The probe revealed that the Block Development

and Panchayat Officer (BDPO), Assistant Engineer (AE), Junior Engineer (JE), and the contractor were directly accountable for the misappropriation.

He said the investigation report had clearly established their guilt and vowed that the state government would not spare anyone involved in misusing public funds.

Sond announced that implicated officials would face immediate suspension and chargesheets. Additionally, the government would recover every penny of the misappropriated funds from the contractor and other responsible parties.

The scam was exposed by the complainant, Santokh Singh Bainipal, who obtained critical details through a Right to Information (RTI) request. In 2023, Bainipal submitted a written complaint directly to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, following which an investigation was carried out.