5 months on, no headway in Vigilance Bureau probe into assets case

Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 5

Five months after a Vigilance probe was ordered into disproportionate assets of a number of corporation leaders, there is little headway in the investigation. Officials in the Vigilance Bureau say they have not found anything significant in the investigation so far.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, during a programme in Patiala on January 20, had announced a Vigilance inquiry into alleged disproportionate assets of some corporation leaders of the city.

The action came after then Senior Deputy Mayor Yoginder Singh Yogi submitted a complaint to the CM during the latter’s visit to the city to inaugurate the work of covering the Model Town drain here.

After submitting the complaint, Yogi had said the complaint was in connection with disproportionate assets of some corporation leaders linked to civic works.

He said the complaint pertained to the sale of a temple land, conversion of a chunk of land for commercial use, encroachment of government land, illegal change of land use and construction of numerous shops and showrooms in the city, etc.

The probe was later marked to the Vigilance Bureau. Officials of the Municipal Corporation, Patiala, later said they had been sending data and documents in relation to the probe to the Vigilance Bureau. “We have sent documents to the Vigilance Bureau as per their demand,” they had said.

On the status of the inquiry, Senior Superintendent of Police, Vigilance Bureau, Jagatpreet Singh said the probe in the matter was still going on. “We are yet to find something significant in it,” he added.

MC leaders under scanner

• On Jan 20, CM had announced a VB probe into alleged disproportionate assets of some corporation leaders of the city on a plaint by Sr Deputy Mayor
• The complaint pertained to sale of a temple land, encroachment of govt land, illegal change of land use and construction of shops and showrooms, etc.
• MC officials said they had been sending data and documents to the VB as per their demand; SSP, Vigilance, said the probe was still going on