In another Vigilance swoop on errant officials caught taking bribes, a Vigilance team has arrested an assistant engineer of Public Works Department, Chandra Singh Rautela, from his office located at Khatima, Udham Singh Nagar, on Monday.
He was caught accepting a bribe of Rs55,000 from a contractor, Mohammad Riyaz, resident of Sitarganj, in return of his assured initiative to clear the decks for being provided dues of around Rs10 lakh against some construction works. Informing, Ashok Kumar, additional director general of police and director (vigilance), further said that such drives would continue.
In his written complaint at vigilance sector Haldwani, Nainital, Riyaz stated that he is a registered contractor in Public Works Department. Under district plan in the year 2014-15, he had secured a contract on construction of roads worth around Rs25 lakh near Nanakmatta Degree College, Udham Singh Nagar. later, length of the roads was increased and the revised cost came to around Rs30 lakh.
Around Rs20 lakhs were paid to him by the department officials and remaining amount was to be paid through assistant engineer, Khatima, Udham Singh Nagar. Junior Engineer, Khatima had not passed the bill for the dues of construction works, he said. He further said he had accordingly met assistant engineer Chandra Singh Rautela and requested him to pass the bill.
Rautela had demanded Rs55, 000 as bribe from him to pass the bill, he said in his complaint. On January 22, he had talked with Rautela over the phone during which Rautela had told him to come at his office with the said amount on January 25, the complaint ran, adding that the officer had said that the bill would be passed before JE concerned after the amount was paid.
Riyaz registered a report in the vigilance sector Haldwani on January 22. Acting on the complaint, Vigilance inspector KN Arya verified the complaint, which was found correct. As assistant engineer being a gazetted officer, permission was sought from the State Government through director (vigilance) Ashok Kumar. SP Pramod Kumar formed a team to trap the accused and the members drafted a plan to trap him.
After the consent was obtained from the department concerned, the team led by KN Arya had laid the trap to enmesh the accused. Accordingly, Rautela was caught red-handed while receiving bribe of Rs55, 000 from Riyaz before two independent witnesses by the vigilance team. Director Kumar announced reward Rs5, 000 to the teams for cracking the case, further saying that a commendable letter had been given to SP in-charge Pramod Kumar.