Missing files: Jalandhar Improvement Trust ex-chairman Daljit Singh among 2 booked

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/Jalandhar, Apr 28

Acting on the directions of the Principal Secretary, Local Government, the department has got an FIR lodged against former Chairman Daljit Singh and senior assistant Ajay Malhotra of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) over 120 missing files.

The missing record pertains to allotment files of locally displaced persons (LDP) category, besides those pertaining to non-construction fee and advance given to corporation staff.

50 of 120 papers yet to be found

• FIR has been lodged on the directions of Principal Secretary, Local Government, after a report was sought from department’s chief vigilance officer
• Missing record pertains to allotment files of locally displaced persons category, those of non-construction fee and advance given to corporation staff
• While 70 of 120 files have been found from the record room of the Trust building, the remaining are still missing

After seeking a report from the chief vigilance officer (CVO) of the department, directions were issued to lodge an FIR under Sections 409 and 420 of the IPC at Jalandhar.

The probe was ordered amidst complaints of grave irregularities in the allotment of residential plots under locally displaced persons (LDP) category in violation of government directions and remission of non-construction fee (NCF) of the plots, already allotted but with no construction carried out for years. The CVO had sought explanation from the top brass of the trust.

The Executive Officer (EO) of the Trust had on April 20 written to the Commissioner of Police that during an inspection by a team of the Local Bodies Department at his office on March 23, “the files including those of dispatch register (before September 29, 2021), cashbook, sale files, receipt book, and other documents were sought. The staff had then reported the record had been sought by former chairman through senior assistant at his office, but was not returned.”

The EO had further claimed: “This shows the entire record has been misplaced. Since the record was so important for the Trust, it requires lodging of a case under the relevant sections of the IPC. The office is set to face a major financial loss owing to the missing cashbook and documents, which seems to be part of a larger conspiracy. The maintaining of accounts has not been possible owing to the same reason.”

The probe is said to be the outcome of the ongoing internal feud in the Trust between ex-chairman Daljit Singh Ahluwalia and EO Parminder Singh Gill, making things worse for allottees. Gill had been appointed during Ahluwalia’s term but both had not gotten along well.

Since the dissolution of the Trust, the charge of chairman is with Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori. While Thori had since April 14 sought Gill’s suspension, he has also got lodged an FIR against ex-Chairman and senior assistant Ajay Malhotra through Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar.

While 70 of 120 files had been found from the record room of the Trust building, the remaining are missing. On Thursday, Thori also set up a six-member committee to trace the missing files.

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