Ex-minister Sekhon to appear before VB today

Chandigarh, December 29

Former Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon will appear before the Vigilance Bureau on Friday to answer questions regarding the irrigation scam. Vigilance sources said Sekhon had been summoned recently regarding the probe into the scam. The Vigilance Bureau had questioned two former IAS officers recently.

In the scam, public money was siphoned off in the name of developmental works from 2007-2017 when the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) government was in power in the state.

It is alleged that a contractor used inferior material in several projects. A number of officials and some politicians either were hand in glove with the minister or looked the other way, alleged Vigilance Bureau officials.

The case was registered in 2017 when Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government assumed power in Punjab. However, the probe went slow later leading to allegations of political interference.