Batala SDM Vikramjit Panthey held after VB raid, cash worth Rs 14 lakh seized

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) arrested SDM-cum-Municipal Corporation Commissioner Vikramjeet Singh Panthey from his official residence here after he was found to be in possession of unaccounted money to the tune of Rs 14 lakh.

The vigilance officials arrived in three cars around 10 pm on Friday and conducted a search at Panthey’s residence that continued till midnight.

The city was soon abuzz with rumours as word spread about the raid. For months, corridors of the Municipal Corporation had been rife with speculation that residents could not get their work done without having to pay off a senior official.

“The MC had become the fountainhead of corruption. We often raised the issue during House meetings, but the Commissioner would silence us. He would say, ‘Such things should not be discussed in the House. Come and meet me personally,’” said a councillor.

Sources claimed the Commissioner allegedly took cuts from all tenders floated by the MC.

In this case, one Amarpal Singh, a city resident, was the complainant.

Amarpal stated that he carried out patchwork and repair of city roads and submitted a bill of Rs 3.72 lakh.

“When I met the Commissioner, he told me my payment would be released only after I paid him Rs 10 per cent of the amount. I was also told to meet MC employee Rohit Uppal in this context. Later, when I also did work for light and sound shows, I was asked to pay 10 per cent,” said Amarpal.

Incidentally, the Commissioner had given additional charge of executive engineer (XEN) to SDO Rohit Uppal and had also vested some extra powers with him.

“As I was not willing to pay bribes from my hard-earned money, I approached the Gurdaspur Vigilance Bureau unit, under whose jurisdiction Batala falls,” added Amarpal.

A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018 has been registered at the Vigilance Bureau police station, Amritsar range.

A councilor said Panthey’s arrest is sure to have a cascading effect.

“For the next few weeks, corruption will cease in the MC. Let us hope such a corrupt-free atmosphere lasts long. It will benefit the common man,” he said.