City Centre scam that never was?

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 19

With the Vigilance Bureau filing a closure report today in the alleged Rs1,144-crore Ludhiana City Centre scam, absolving Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and others of charges of corruption, the scam has come a full circle 11 years after it rocked the state.

The scam will go down in the annals of history as a unique case that led to change in fortunes of top politicians of Punjab, besides making and marring career of many investigating police officials. The scam is unique in the sense that its contours took a drastic turn with the change in government thrice since it first came to light in September 2006.

It had led to change of government in 2007 when Akalis stormed back to power and a bitter fight and vendetta politics between Capt Amarinder and Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal took a turn for the worse.

Billed as a dream project of Capt Amarinder during his chief ministership in 2002-2007, the city centre project included developing a multiplex, a mall, leisure parks and other commercial hubs with a rooftop helipad on 25 acres in Ludhiana.

In those times, malls had just started coming up in the state and such a big project, including different commercial and entertainment facilities, was unheard of.

The Vigilance probe began in September 2006, but the FIR was registered in April 2007 during the Akali-BJP rule.

Later, in the second term of the Akali-BJP regime between 2007 and 2012, the scam was not much talked about, so much so that the Ludhiana court did not issue a chargesheet against the accused all these years.

In March this year, days before the election results, the Vigilance Bureau submitted an application in the Ludhiana court saying it wanted to review the earlier investigation submitted in the court as new evidence has cropped up. Now, barely five months later, the Vigilance concluded that there was no scam.

No headway during SAD-BJP rule

• The Vigilance probe into the City Centre scam began in September 2006. A case was registered in April 2007 during the Akali-BJP rule
• In the second term of the Akali-BJP regime between 2007 and 2012, the scam was not much talked about, so much so that the Ludhiana court did not issue a chargesheet against the accused all these years
• In March this year, days before the election results, the VB submitted an application in the Ludhiana court saying it wanted to review the earlier investigation as new evidence has cropped up

Clean chit was expected, says SAD

The cancellation report filed by Vigilance Bureau is along the expected lines. How could they have proceeded against their own CM? He is in charge of the Home Department and the VB falls under it. — Daljit Singh Cheema, SAD general secretary