Give nod to prosecute two ex-IAS officers: Punjab Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua

Tribune News Service

Vishav Bharti

Chandigarh, December 9

Taking cognisance of The Tribune story on the delay by the Personnel Department in giving permission for the prosecution of two former IAS officers, Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua today pulled up the officials concerned and asked them to give nod to the file sent by the Vigilance Bureau (VB).

The Tribune, in its edition on Friday, had reported that the Vigilance Bureau had asked for permission to prosecute two former IAS officers Sukhjit Singh Bains and Gopal Krishan Singh, who served as directors in the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats, when the multi-crore scam of the release of money for the acquisition of land in Jehurheri village for Mohali airport was unearthed.

The VB said the Department of Personnel had been sitting on the file since October.

Reacting to the story, the Chief Secretary has asked the department to immediately clear the file.

When contacted, Janjua said the AAP government had zero tolerance towards corruption and any delay in prosecuting the corrupt officials was unacceptable.

Gopal Krishan Singh said he had released only a portion of the amount with the permission of the competent authority and the panchayat was asked to submit the utilisation certificate of the money they had spent in the past. “The land was purchased by the panchayat after my superannuation from the service,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bains said when the land was purchased in 2016, he was away to West Bengal on duty as election observer.

The issue pertains to Jehurheri village in Mohali, where 36 acres of the village common land was acquired for the airport. The panchayat got Rs 54.17 crore as compensation for its land. However, the two IAS officers, in connivance with other officials, allegedly gave a large amount of money to the individuals instead of the panchayat.

Panchayat land scam

The issue pertains to Jehurheri village in Mohali, where 36 acres of the village common land was acquired for the airport. The panchayat got Rs 54.17 cr as compensation for its land.

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