CHANDIGARH: It was in August that the
Punjab vigilance bureau unearthed over Rs 1,000- crore
irrigation scam that happened during the 10 years of the SAD-BJP government. The probe revealed how a small-time contractor
Gurinder Singh wielding strong influence in the irrigation department, became a multi-millionaire within a short span of time.
Not only was Gurinder close to the senior
Akali leaders and bureaucrats, he also had huge influence on the senior engineers of the irrigation department where tenders of various drainage projects were tailor-made for him.
Even the role of special chief secretary
K B S Sidhu has come under scanner in the scam for writing a DO letter to the state vigilance department and the chief secretary in May to close the preliminary inquiry being undertaken by the vigilance bureau in the case.
The role of another senior bureaucrat is also under scanner for allegedly spoiling the careers of those engineers who did not toe Gurinder's line. During this, the influential contractor's annual turnover increased around 60 times from Rs 4.5 crore to Rs 300 crore. He amassed large number of residential and commercial properties and hotels in Chandigarh,
Mohali, Ludhiana, Patiala and Noida.
To dissuade other contractors, the modus operandi of irrigation department officials was not to mention quantity of items or location in vague tenders. Some of the tenders of projects were allotted to Gurinder at a rate approximately 17% above the departmental rate. Projects of 21 villages in two districts of Punjab - Muktsar and Ferozepur - were clubbed and a single big tender was floated for Rs 75 crore to favour him.
On the run since November 15, Gurinder had on December 13 surrendered before the Mohali trial court after the
Supreme Court denied him anticipatory bail looking into the magnitude of the scam. Earlier on December 11, co-accused in the scam - former chief engineer Harwinder Singh - had surrendered before the Mohali trial court.
However, till date the vigilance bureau has not been able to arrest other five co-accused. These include retired chief engineers Gurdev Singh Syan and Paramjit Singh Ghuman, XENs Bajrang Lal Singla and
Gulshan Nagpal, superviser Vimal Kumar Sharma and retired SDO Kaminder Singh Deol.
Further, despite over two-week custodial interrogation of Gurinder and the retired chief engineer, the vigilance bureau has not yet achieved any big breakthrough in the scam.
Representative image
