Punjab IAS officer Neelima to join probe in land bifurcation case

Tribune News Service

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, January 15

Punjab IAS officer Neelima will join the investigation into the PSIEC land bifurcation case this week.

Was posted PSIEC MD

With an ‘assurance’ that she will not be arrested, the 2008 batch IAS officer will appear before Vigilance Bureau sleuths this week. She will answer their queries regarding alleged irregularities in the bifurcation of the plot allowed by the PSIEC. The officer was posted as the MD, PSIEC, when bifurcation of the plot was allowed to a real estate developer.

With an ‘assurance’ that she will not be arrested, the 2008 batch IAS officer will appear before Vigilance Bureau sleuths to answer their queries regarding the alleged irregularities in the bifurcation of the plot allowed by the PSIEC.

The officer was posted as the Managing Director (MD) of the PSIEC when the bifurcation of the plot was allowed to a real estate developer.

The officer has pleaded herself innocence in the case in a letter written to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The state IAS Officers Association has been up in arms against the registration of an FIR against the officer while stating that a prior sanction was not taken before the FIR was registered against her.

Highly placed sources in the state government said a team of the VB had already visited the native state of the IAS officer as part of the investigation.

“It is not necessary that a person be arrested immediately after an FIR is registered. Arrest is necessary only if there is apprehension of the person, being investigated, trying to dodge the investigating agency,” said a senior functionary in the government.

Meanwhile, a reply in the entire case of allowing the sale of the 25-acre piece of land by Signify Innovations India Ltd (formerly known as Phillips Lighting India Ltd) to Gulmohar Township India Pvt Ltd has been submitted by the Industries Department to the Chief Secretary, who is preparing a report for the Chief Minister.

The Vigilance too has submitted four judgements that validate its claim that no prior sanction was required to register an FIR against the IAS officer under Section 17 A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Sources say that the report by the Chief Secretary is also looking into the allegations of tampering of the records of the PSIEC in this case, as is being alleged. It is alleged that though the developer was allowed to bufurcate the plot into 12 units, but the plot was bifurcated into 125 units. Most of the 125 allottees have been questioned by the VB about the projects they were setting up in this industrial township to assess if these were being used for commercial or residential purposes that was not allowed under the rules.

Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua said his report on various aspects of the case is ready. “I will submit it to the Chief Minister on Monday. The CM may then make a statement on the issue,” he said.

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