Vigilance seeks info on ‘shady’ deals of previous Ludhiana Improvement Trust regime

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, February 6

There seems to be more trouble in store for staff and officials of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), as the ghost of criminal action for the alleged misdeeds of the previous (Congress) regime continues to haunt them.

Non-cooperation by officials hindering probe

“Non-cooperation by Ludhiana Improvement Trust officials in providing relevant information about acts of omission and commission is hampering further probe into the misdeeds of a few senior officials,” Vigilance Bureau sources said.

The Vigilance Bureau (VB) is now doggedly probing the allegedly shady deals executed during the chairmanship of Congress-appointed LIT chairman Raman Balasubramanium.

However, the LIT staff is said to be putting up determined opposition to the Vigilance probe by their reluctance in providing relevant records to investigating officials.

In May 2022, a DSP of the economic offences wing of the Vigilance Bureau had asked the LIT Executive Officer to provide relevant files, allotment letters, ownership details, approved building plans, and in some cases measurement books (MBs), which form the basis of payment made to contractors. Details were sought for the deals for 27 shop-cum-flats (SCFs) constructed in Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, the earth work carried out in Maharishi Valmiki Nagar and sales record of shop No 41 in Bhadaur House.

The VB had also requisitioned records pertaining to the ownership of plot nos 344-C in the Model Town Extension area and 93-E in Maharishi Valmiki Nagar along with tender documents and MBs for renovation of six parks executed by Aglow Builders in the EWS Colony and details of a plot in one of the Trust schemes on Pakhowal Road which had been put to commercial use as Ramdev Store.

Sources in the VB said this record was demanded from the LIT for an ongoing inquiry into a specific complaint against certain senior officials of the Trust but even after reminders, no document or file of record had been made available.

Notably, the Vigilance sleuths had lodged an FIR for fraud, heating, corruption and fabrication of documents in March 2022 in which two trust

engineers, a couple of Junior Engineers, employees of the sales branch, PA to the then chairman and some other staff members were arrested.

“However, non-cooperation by LIT officials in providing relevant information about acts of omission and commission is hampering further probe into the ‘misdeeds’ of a few senior officials,” the VB sources said.