Bhagwant Mann orders vigilance inquiry into Mayor’s ‘disproportionate assets’

Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 20

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at a programme here today announced a vigilance inquiry into alleged disproportionate assets of Mayor and other municipal leaders and allocation of MC funds.

This comes after Senior Deputy Mayor Yoginder Singh Yogi submitted a complaint to the CM while he was here to inaugurate a project.

Yogi said he submitted a complaint to the CM in relation to possession of disproportionate assets by some municipal officials. “I have complained to the CM against Mayor Sanjeev Sharma Bittu and several other officials. The complaint pertains to sale of land of a temple, conversion of a chunk of land to a commercial unit, encroachment on government land, illegal change in land use, construction of some shops and showrooms in the city and others,” Yogi said.

Several involved

I have complained to the CM against the Mayor and several other officials. The complaint pertains to encroachment on government land, illegal change in land use, illegal construction of some shops and showrooms in the city and others. —Yoginder Singh Yogi, Senior Deputy Mayor

Politically motivated

This is all politically motivated. All estimates for works were passed in Chandigarh. The works were done with grants received from government through the DC office. Yogi was part of MC when decisions were taken. He never raised red flag. —Sanjeev Sharma Bittu, Mayor

On receiving the complaint by the local Congress leader, the CM said, “I have received a complaint regarding the budget of the MC and disproportionate assets possessed by its officers. We will now get the Vigilance Department to conduct a probe into the matter.”

He said the state needed whistleblowers who could bring matters of corruption into the government’s notice so that it could initiate action against such people. He said a number of leaders were joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to evade action for their previous conduct.

The mayor said the government had all records of the corporation’s functioning. He said, “We worked only on a constitutional post. The executive powers always rested in the hands of corporation officers and departmental officials in Chandigarh.” He said a number of complaints have been filed in the past as well and added, “This is all politically motivated. All estimates for the works were vetted and passed in Chandigarh. In fact, the works were done with grants received from the government through the Deputy Commissioner office.”

He alleged that the Senior Deputy Mayor was part of the MC when the decisions were taken and never raised a red flag back then. “This was well planned as Yogi is now shifting to AAP,” he said.

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