Unearthing a scam causing a financial loss of around Rs 1.14 crore to the state exchequer in Gurdaspur district regarding construction of a bridge on Uppar Bari Doab Canal (UBDC), Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Wednesday registered a criminal case against two PWD officials, including a superintending engineer (SE), and a contractor.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) and chief vigilance director BK Uppal said that the state government had, on July 15, 2015, allotted Rs 1.69-crore project for construction of a bridge on UBDC near Babbehali, Gurdaspur, amounting to Sanjiv Gupta of M/s Balaji Builders, Batala. The project was to be completed within six months.
Uppal said that Pathankot SE Parminder Singh Tiwana transferred the supervision of this work to executive engineer (XEN), Batala, the charge of which he was holding himself.
"In connivance with junior engineer (JE) Kamaljit Singh, the SE paid Rs 1.63 crore to Balaji Builders showing completion of construction of the bridge even as only pillars of the bridge were completed which in terms of cost is approximately to the tune of Rs 48,97,036...Our probe has found that officials and the contractor connived in this scam," Uppal said.