The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) during its campaign against corruption, has registered a corruption case against Sanjeev Kalia, Senior Assistant, Improvement Trust, Jalandhar, (now posted at Hoshiarpur) for committing irregularities and purchasing a plot in the Improvement Trust, Jalandhar on wife’s name by misusing his position.
Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson of the VB said during the investigation of complaint number 75/2022, it was found that without receiving the non-construction fee of Rs. 14,35,350 from Devinderpal Kaur for plot number 828 in the Trust colony, the said Sanjeev Kalia, despite not being a dealing hand, had misused his position and wrote a letter dated 21.04.2010 to the halqa Patwari to report about the Khasra numbers of the said vacant plot. Later, the Patwari sent this report to the Superintendent (Sale), but Sanjeev Kalia again bypassed the Superintendent and directly got transferred the said plot in the name of Devinderpal Kaur from the then Chairman without receiving the non-construction fee of Rs. 14,35,350. Apart from this, the Trust in a letter dated 13/10/2016 issued a No Objection Certificate (NDC) in the name of plot owner Davinderpal Kaur, whereas she (Davinderpal Kaur) had died on 12/01/2015, due to which this NDC could not be issued.
He further revealed that during the probe, as per the statement given by Jatinder Singh, Executive Officer (EO), the NDC issued on 13.10.2016 does not have his signature, but the Trust has clarified through its official letter dated 11.10.2024 that this NDC was signed by Jatinder Singh, EO and the signature is similar to the signatures of this Officer put on the other files.
In addition to this irregularity, during the investigation it was also found that a 9 marla 147 sq ft land owned by Sohan Dei wife of Bhagwan Das was acquired by the Improvement Trust under the ‘110 Scheme’ Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Jalandhar in the year 1976 but no plot was allotted to Sohan Dei in return as per the policy of Trust. The aforementioned Sanjeev Kalia, being posted at the Trust, was aware that plot number 276 adjacent to his residential house in the trust’s 94.5 acre scheme Guru Gobind Singh Avenue is vacant, which could be allotted in the name of someone else under the Locally Displaced Persons (LDP) quota scheme. Therefore, he approached Sohan Dei through his acquaintances and gave him only Rs. 6,50,000 and appointed Deepak son of Sohan Lal, a resident of Satowali, Police Station Adampur, district Jalandhar as the power of attorney for Sohan Dei and got it registered in his name with Power of Attorney No. 275 dated 10.10.2011. After this, the said plot was allotted to wife of Sanjeev Kalia on the basis of Deepak’s power of attorney through letter No. 1202 dated 28.10.2011. The reserve price of this plot as per the said special quota under LDP was Rs. 31883 only and he deposited the same in the bank account of the Trust. After getting the registration of this plot in the name of Sohan Dei on dated 22.12.2011, the NDC of plot number 276 was obtained through letter number 3965 dated 05.03.2012.
The spokesperson further added that for this purpose, Sanjeev Kalia, by showing that he had paid Rs. 7,00,000 in cash to the said Deepak, on 03.02.2012 had appeared in person to got registered this plot in the name of his wife Upma Kalia at Rs. 21,74,000 as per the collector rate.
He added that it was also found that Sanjeev Kalia did not took approval from his department for purchasing the said plot and neither did he informed the department later. In this regard a case has been registered against the said accused under sections 420, 409 of the IPC and 13(1)A including 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act at Police Station Vigilance Bureau, Range Jalandhar. The accused Sanjeev Kalia would be arrested soon. Further investigation of this case is underway.
