SDM report confirms use of mopeds, bikes

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 20

Ellenabad SDM Pradeep Dahiya, who was entrusted with inquire into ‘Ghaggar desilting scam’, has submitted his report to Sirsa Deputy Commissioner Sharandeep Kaur Brar.

The report accessed by The Tribune confirms that registration numbers of many vehicles purported to have been used by the Irrigation Department according to information supplied by it to RTI activist Surinder Sardana on December 1, 2016, were found to be those of mopeds, motorcycles etc.

However, the office of Executive Engineer of the department provided revised information to Sardana vide January 6, 2017 letter, said the report. It added that the registration numbers mentioned in the revised information supplied to Sardana were those of tractors, JCBs etc.

The Tribune had published news items ‘Ghaggar desilted with bike, Alto’ (January 7) and ‘More feats by Irrigation Department to marvel at- moped, auto used for tractors to strengthen bundhs ’ (January 9) following which Additional Chief Secretary (Irrigation) Anurag Rastogi had asked the Sirsa DC to get the matter probed.

“I was not in fact asked to conduct a probe into the matter. After publication of news items, I was asked by the DC to gather prima facie information on what exactly the matter was. I have not given any findings in my report, but it was merely preliminary information of the facts. I have confirmed in my report that the numbers of vehicles mentioned by the Irrigation Department in information supplied by it were of mopeds, scooter, motorcycle etc. However, the registration numbers mentioned by the department in its edited reply were of tractors, JCBs etc,” said Dahiya. He said he was informed that a regular inquiry would be conducted by the Irrigation Department itself.

The report says that the Executive Engineer of the Ghaggar Division of Irrigation Department was asked to appear for inquiry with relevant record on January 9.

The Executive Engineer stated in his statement that since numbers of vehicles were noted down on telephone, errors crept in and wrong numbers were mentioned in the record. The report said in support of the Executive Engineer’s statement, SDOs Amit Nain and Kamal Singh and JEs Naresh Kumar, Abhinav Kumar, Naresh Majok and Raghubir submitted affidavits before the inquiry officer.