Vigilance arrests Badals’ blue-eyed boy in graft case
CHANDIGARH: The vigilance bureau (VB) on Friday claimed to have cracked a multi-crore scam, with the arrest of former superintending engineer (SE) of GMADA and blue-eyed officer of Badal family, Surinderpal Singh, also known as ‘Pahalwan’, in a graft case.
As per investigations done by the VB during the past one month, Pahalwan has amassed huge wealth with ill-gotten money by illegally favouring some construction companies during his tenure at Greater Mohali Area Development Authority. He parked his black money in the accounts of some bogus firms, besides those of his family members.
The case has been registered under Sections 420 (cheating), 506 (criminal intimidation), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 13 (1) (d) read with 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) at VB flying squad-1 police station, SAS Nagar.
BUREAU CLAIMS TO HAVE CRACKED A MULTICRORE SCAM, WITH ARREST OF FORMER SE OF GMADA SURINDERPAL SINGH, ALSO KNOWN AS PAHALWAN
HOW PAHALWAN MADE CRORES
VB investigations revealed that the officer used to give extra advantage to its favourite construction firms and allotted contracts to them illegally.
He flouted the standard bid document (SBD) and without any approval from higher authorities favoured the firm named Ek Onkar Builders and Contractors Pvt Ltd, allotting the firm big tenders exceeding its annual tender limit of Rs 5 crore.
VB chief director BK Uppal said that during Pahalwan’s tenure more than 200 development works amounting to Rs 1,030 crore were allotted to various contractors, out of which Rs 230-crore works were allotted to only Ek Onkar Builders.
Interestingly, Ek Onkar Builders had set up its office in a house situated in Gobind Nagar in Ludhiana in 2015, which was owned by the former SE. The latter had executed a lease deed with the construction firm as an owner on February 16, 2015.
KNOW THE MAN
Famous as “Badlan da Pahalwan”, Surinderpal joined as junior engineer in Punjab Mandi Board in 1993. He became SE in GMADA in 2014 and was officiating as chief engineer in GMADA since 2016. He was recently repatriated to the Mandi Board.
Earlier, he has served as executive engineer, Mandi Board, Ludhiana; executive engineer, Mandi Board Mohali-2 and executive engineer, Mandi Board, Jalandhar. Sources said Badals were so kind to the officer that in 2015 he was given 22 additional charges of high importance.
He is son-in-law of Badals’ extended family.