M A I N   N E W S

Job scam in FCI unearthed
Senior FCI officials’ involvement suspected
Chander Parkash
Tribune News Service

Barnala, July 2
Even as the dust raised by the diversion of export quality of rice to local markets worth crores of rupees detected in the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is yet to settle down, the Barnala police has unearthed a multi-crore job recruitment scam involving 14 persons, including Amar Nath, Ramesh Gaydal and Amarjit Chadda, leaders of a “strong” Class IV employees’ union of the FCI in connivance with a section of aides of certain politicians at the Centre and higher FCI authorities.

Amar Nath, Ramesh Gaydal, Amarjit Chadda and eleven others allegedly collected crores of rupees from about 1934 persons on the pretext of getting them jobs of security guards on permanent basis in the FCI from 1997 to 1999. The accused took Rs 7500 to Rs 25,000 from each of the job aspirants.

Police sources alleged Amar Nath, who was kingpin in this scam, had amassed property worth Rs 1.50 crore which included a bungalow and a showroom in Sector 46 at Chandigarh, a 200 square yards plot at Zirakpur, a 14 kanal plot near Sukhna Lake and 16 bighas of land in Himachal Pradesh. Amar Nath along with one of his associates Ram Kishore was arrested by the police yesterday. They were produced before the Judicial Magistrate today, who remanded them in police custody till July 9.

The police sources alleged apart from the involvement of the accused in the job recruitment scam, they were also involved in the bunglings in the Employees Provident Fund (EPF). What the accused had been doing was that they used to deduct more money as EPF from the labourers engaged by the contractors of the FCI for loading and unloading of foodgrains and would deposit less money in the accounts of the labourers.

The police sources said most of the aspirants were those, who were working as security guards in FCI godowns on temporary basis through security and detective agencies. These temporary security guards were removed from their jobs by the FCI authorities in 1999.

To make the aspirants believe in their dealings, Amar Nath and other contested a case in the Supreme Court to get the services of those regularised, who were removed by the FCI authorities. The accused also staged a 17-day-long dharna at Delhi to press the authorities concerned for getting the services of removed security guards regularised. The accused also managed to call a Union Minister to address the dharna and got an assurance from him that services of removed security guards would be regularised.

The sources added that Amar Nath had confessed that he was having “strong links” with Delhi-based FCI high ups and he had paid money to one of the aides of a former ruling politician at the Centre through one of his associates. Amar Nath also confessed that he had met present and former Union Food Ministers. He also confessed that he had also campaigned for a minister in the 1999 Lok Sabha election and travelled with him in the chopper.

A case in this connection was registered in the city police station, on January 12,2002, on the complaint of Mr Vinod Kumar. Two accused persons, Bhupinder Singh Walia and Surinder Bhora, were arrested then and both had secured bails. The case was registered under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC and Section 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The sources alleged that close kin of Amar Nath were also involved in the scam and had cheated a number of persons on various pretexts. The other suspects involved in the scam were Malook Singh Gill, Varinder Sharma, Parveen Kumar, Bhagel Singh and Kirtan Singh. About 10 accused in this case had absconded.

They added that Amar Nath used to take “benami” contract of labour for loading and unloading in the FCI. Amar Nath also used to take illegal money from other contractors of labour.

The FCI regional authorities at Chandigarh when contacted for comments remained tight lipped as they are already facing a scam worth crores of rupees pertaining to the illegal diversion of the export quality rice to domestic markets.