Specific Information Carrier
CHANDIGARH: Giving a dramatic push to probity in public existence, Punjab Leader Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday sacked his well being minister Dr Vijay Singla and were given him arrested for in the hunt for lower cash for awarding govt contracts and clearing bills.
Singla used to be later produced earlier than an area courtroom, which remanded him in three-day police custody. For his section, Singla mentioned, “It’s conspiracy to defame the AAP and Bhagwant Mann govt.” Each Singla and his Officer on Particular Responsibility (OSD) Pardeep Kumar had been booked through the police beneath the Prevention of Corruption Act in line with a criticism from Rajinder Singh, Superintending Engineer within the Punjab Well being Techniques Company.
The FIR mentioned Singla’s OSD Kumar had demanded that the officer fetch 2% fee for a building contract value Rs 41 crore the minister had already cleared and for a separate cost of Rs 17 crore made to contractors in March. Because the overall quantity concerned used to be Rs 58 crore, 2% works out to Rs 1.16 crore.
When Rajinder Singh introduced the harassment to Mann’s realize, he used to be requested to assemble evidence. The officer then taped a gathering he had with Singla and Kumar, the place they reiterated their call for for bribe and mentioned the lower cash must be paid to his nephew. The officer passed over the explosive tape to the Leader Minister’s Administrative center.
Mann is learnt to have then faced the minister with the recording and requested if the voice at the tape used to be his. Singla reportedly responded within the affirmative and used to be sacked. He’s a first-time MLA and minister, as are maximum ministers within the Punjab ministry.
Mann put out a video message making the announcement. “We discovered considerable evidence of his corruption. I don’t care if the opposition desires to make use of this to hit out at us,” he nonchalently claimed. Mann additionally sought to take the top ethical floor pronouncing that is the second one time within the nation’s historical past {that a} minister has been sacked through his personal celebration for graft. The primary one, he added, used to be in 2015 when AAP founder and Delhi Leader Minister Arvind Kejriwal chucked his personal meals provides minister Asim Ahmed Khan on fees of corruption and passed him over to the CBI for wondering.
Kejriwal, after all, used to be suitably inspired. “Your motion has introduced tears to my eyes,’’ he advised Mann. However the Opposition mocked Kejriwal for claiming previous that corruption have been utterly eliminated in Punjab inside of simply 10 days of the Mann govt within the saddle.
Whistleblower’s dramatic criticism
A few month in the past, Rajinder Singh, Superintending Engineer in Punjab Well being Techniques Company, used to be known as through Pardeep Kumar, OSD to Singla (pic), to room quantity 203 of Punjab Bhavan
Singla used to be in a rush to depart, however advised the officer to totally consider Kumar. “No matter Kumar says is what I intend to mention,” he confident and left
Kumar discussed allotments of building works value L41 crore and a separate Rs 17 crore already paid to contractors in March
2% of the full Rs 58 crore or Rs 1.16 crore must be paid as bribe, they mentioned
The officer refused and asked that he be despatched again to his mum or dad division. He’s because of retire on November 30