Vijay Singla, OSD booked as govt officer alleges they demanded Rs 1.16 cr bribe, 1% commissions

  • | Tuesday | 24th May, 2022

Chandigarh, May 24 (PTI) Sacked Punjab minister Vijay Singla and his OSD, both of whom were arrested Tuesday on corruption charges, have been booked on a government officer"s complaint they demanded Rs 1.16-crore bribe from allotment of projects and a one per cent commission in all future contracts.Superintending Engineer Rajinder Singh, who is posted at Punjab Health System Corporation on deputation, also alleged he was threatened his career will be destroyed, and said he eventually agreed to pay Rs 5 lakh to avoid the "mental harassment".He said he recorded the conversation that purportedly took place during this payment on May 23 and presented it to the police.According to an FIR filed based on his complaint, Singh has said the minister"s OSD Pradeep Kumar called him to the Punjab Bhawan last month and told him he allotted construction projects worth Rs 41 crore, besides paying Rs 17 crore to contractors for March.Kumar demanded Rs 1.16 crore as a bribe which was two percent of the total sum of Rs 58 crore, Singh has alleged in his complaint.The superintending engineer also alleged he was asked to pay a one per cent commission on every future contracts. Singla and OSD Kumar have been booked under the relevant sections of the Punjab Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.The case has been registered at Mohali Phase-8 police station.Singla was one of the 10 MLAs inducted in the Bhagwant Mann-led cabinet after the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in March this year. He was sacked from the state Cabinet Tuesday and was also arrested, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asserting his government has zero-tolerance to corruption.The sacked minister and his OSD were presented before a court and were remanded to three-day police custody.Mann said Singla was demanding a one per cent commission from each tender on purchases by his department.According to the FIR, Singh said he is posted as an SE at Punjab Health System Corporation on deputation and was called to the Punjab Bhawan by OSD Kumar a month back.The superintendent engineer has alleged that at room number 203 of the Punjab Bhawan, Singla told him to “do as directed” by the OSD as the minister had to go somewhere.Singh said he was not ready to pay the bribe and requested that he be repatriated to his parent department.Singh claimed he received many WhatsApp calls from the OSD demanding the bribe money. He also claimed he was threatened with harm to his career.Singh is due to retire in November 2022.According to the FIR, on May 20 the complainant was asked to pay Rs 10 lakh, and also told that he pays a one per cent commission on all future allotment of work or payment to contractors.Singh said he agreed to pay Rs 5 lakh to avoid the “mental harassment”.The complainant said he met Singla and Kumar at Punjab secretariat on May 23 after he was asked to reach there. The complainant made a recording of his conversation regarding the payment of Rs 5 lakh and presented the same to the police.According to the complainant, Singla had asked him to pay Rs 5 lakh to Pardeep Kumar. PTI CHS VSD TIR TIR


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