Tainted AAP minister, OSD nephew under fresh probe

CHANDIGARH:  Sacked Punjab Health Minister Dr Vijay Singla and his Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Pardeep Kumar, who is also his nephew, are now being investigated by the police over the tenders floated for the Punjab government’s recently-launched Mohalla Clinics scheme.

Singla and Kumar were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly taking money for transfers and kickbacks in procurement and deals done by de-addiction centres. The Punjab Police is now also scrutinising whether the two conducted any irregularities in the allotment of tenders for the AAP government’s flagship scheme to be launched on August 15. In the first phase of the Mohalla Clinics scheme, 75 clinics will be launched.

The phone records and other details of the two are under scrutiny to check if any calls were made or to whom, or if they tried to get any favours here too, by using their code ‘Shukrana’ which meant commission.

They were allegedly taking a fixed percentage in contracts for procurement of various products in the health department. A close relative of Singla alleged that the sacked minister was the biggest player in the de-addiction business in the state as “deals’’ were struck with private de-addiction centres for buprenorphine, which is used for opioid  treatment.

Tracing call records
Singla and Kumar were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly taking money for transfers and kickbacks in procurement and deals done by de-addiction centres.The phone records and other details of the two are under scrutiny to check for any leads