Punjab vigilance nabs Batala municipal commissioner while taking Rs 50,000 bribe

CHANDIGARH: The Sub-Divisional MagistratecumMunicipal Corporation Commissioner of Batala, Vikramjeet Singh Panthey, has been arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau after he was allegedly caught red-handed taking a bribe of Rs 50,000. In addition, unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 13.50 lakh was recovered from his official residence during a subsequent search. A Vigilance Bureau official stated that the complainant, a resident of Batala in Gurdaspur district, had carried out patchwork and repair work on roads for the Municipal Corporation, Batala. For this work, two bills of Rs 1,87,483 and Rs 1,85,369 totalling Rs 3,72,852 had been submitted for payment. When he approached the Commissioner regarding the pending payment, he was allegedly told that a 10% commission (Rs 37,000) would have to be paid as a bribe to clear the bills. The official further said that the complainant had also executed camera and related technical work for a light and sound show in Batala, for which an additional amount of Rs 1,81,543 was pending. In total, payments amounting to approximately Rs 5,54,395 were due. When the complainant met SDO Rohit Uppal regarding the matter, he was allegedly informed that the Commissioners instructions had to be followed, and a 9% commission would be required to release the pending amount. The complainant, however, refused to pay any bribe. It was also noted that the Commissioner had given Uppal additional charge as Executive Engineer (XEN), granting him extra administrative powers. Acting on the complaint, the Vigilance Bureau recorded the complainants statement at the VB Unit in Gurdaspur. After verifying the allegations, the Bureau laid a trap and apprehended Vikramjeet Singh Panthey while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000, in the presence of two official witnesses. A case under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused officer at the Vigilance Bureau Police Station, Range Amritsar. He will be produced before a competent court on Saturday, and further investigation is underway. Sources alleged that the officer routinely took cuts from all tenders floated by the Municipal Corporation. Vigilance officials reached his residence in three vehicles around 10 p.m. on Friday and conducted a search that continued until midnight.