M A I N   N E W S

Irrigation scam unearthed
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 20 — The Haryana State Vigilance Bureau has registered a criminal case against a contractor of Bhiwani, Mr Satpal alias Pahari, who is alleged to be close to Mr Surender Singh, a former MP and son of a former Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal.

An official spokesman said here today that the case was registered as a consequence of unearthing by bureau of the “biggest-ever scandal of misappropriation of funds” allotted for digging, lining and special repair of drain no 8 in Rohtak district and several minors in Bhiwani and Rohtak districts.

An FIR under sections 406, 409, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC had been registered at the bureau’s Rohtak police station against Mr Pahari, two Executive Engineers, two retired Subdivisional Engineers and four Junior Engineers of the Irrigation department for causing loss to the state exchequer and tampering with the records of the state government.

The spokesman said the bureau had established that Mr Pahari, who was allotted the work of excavation and strengthening of drain no. 8 in 1996, executed the work under the supervision of Mr Joginder Singh Shauqeen and Ramesh Chawla, both executive engineers; Mr Raghbir Singh and Mr Dharam Singh, both retired SDEs and four JEs — Mr Jagminder Singh, Mr Karan Singh, Mr Narender Singh and Mr Nafe Singh.

He said the technical expert had observed that less quantity of earth work was done in case of drain no. 8 by the contractor, causing a loss Rs 22 lakh to the exchequer. He allegedly obtained this wrongful gain in connivance with the above mentioned officers. The report of the forensic science laboratory was awaited regarding the work of the minors in Bhiwani district.

Alleging that Mr Pahari had amassed huge immovable and movable property by misappropriation of funds, the spokesman said he purchased a house worth over Rs 15.12 lakh at Krishna Colony in the name of his wife. He also purchased agriculture land, measuring 202 kanal and 17 marla at Manheru village and Gauripur for over Rs 18.57 lakh.

The spokesman alleged that Mr Pahari had acquired these properties during the chief ministership of Mr Bansi Lal. Prior to 1996, he had no other sources of income except two and a half acres of ancestral land.

Another FIR under Section 218, 406, 409, 420 and 120-B of the IPC has been registered at the Hisar police station of the bureau against Mr Pahari and certain officials of the Revenue department.

5 Babbar Khalsa men held in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD, Jan 20 (UNI) — The city crime branch sleuths today arrested five militants of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) from the Narol area of the city.

Addressing a press conference here, city Police Commissioner P.C. Pandey said the five militants — Sarbjit Singh, alias Sabba Sukhvat Singh (33), Sajan Singh, alias Bhagat Singh Jat (35), Lakhvinder Singh, alias Lakha Harbans Singh Jat (29), Paramjit Singh Ajmer Singh Sandhu (35) and Ibrahim Khan, alias Chacha Hasankhan Bhatti (52) — were arrested following a tip-off by the Punjab Police and central intelligence agencies.

He said the preliminary objective of these militants was to raise money from the state for the revival of Sikh terrorism and increasing activities of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) by kidnapping people for ransom.