Punjab tender scam: 2 files related to appointment of tainted officer on Food Dept panels go missing
Mohali, August 30: Two tender scam files related to former Punjab Congress minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu have gone missing from the Establishment 1 branch of the Food and Supply Department. One file pertains to the appointment of tainted officer Rakesh Singla as chairman of the Central Vigilance Committee (CVC) while the other is related to his appointment as the chairman of the tender allocation committee.
Rakesh Singla is also an accused in a tender scam worth crores of rupees. However, as soon as the investigation into the scam started, he fled abroad. Recently, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department also dismissed Deputy Director Rakesh Kumar Singla for "willfully concealing facts and negligence in discharge of official duty". Singla had taken Canadian citizenship during his employment.
The Vigilance team investigating the tender scam had asked for these two files from the Food and Civil Supplies Department. After this, the files were searched for about a week, however to no avail.
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The files had information on who all proposed the names of the officer for the two important posts.
According to officials of the Food Supply Department, affidavits are being taken from all employees of the Establishment branch that these files could not be found. The case will be recommended to the Chandigarh Police for registering a case.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also written a letter to the Vigilance Department seeking the details of the case registered against Bharat Bhushan Ashu. The ED will investigate the transaction of money in this case.
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-PTC News
