The Fact News Service
Chandigarh, April 18
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB), during its on-going campaign against corruption in the state, on Wednesday, has apprehended Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Karam Singh, posted as Investigating Officer at Police Station Sadar Patti, Tarn Taran district red handed while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000.
Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson of the state VB said the above mentioned accused has been arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged by a woman named as Veero, a resident of village Sarhali Kalan in Taran Taran.
He further informed that the complainant has approached the VB and alleged that the said ASI has demanded a bribe of Rs 65,000 for favouring his son-in-law in a police case registered against him in the police station. He further added that the said accused had already taken Rs 24,000 as a bribe and demanding the remaining money.
The spokesperson informed that after a preliminary inquiry the VB team laid a trap during which the said accused was caught red handed accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. He added that the bribe money amounting to Rs 24,000 accepted earlier as first instalment was also recovered during the preliminary investigation.
He added that in this regard a case under Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered at against the police personnel at VB police station Amritsar range. The accused would be produced in the competent court tomorrow and further investigation into this case was under progress, he said.
Ruling in favor of a senior citizen based in the city’s Ajit Nagar, Improvement Trust, the District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum, Amritsar has ordered Amritsar Improvement Trust to refund the amount and pay compensation for deficiency in services in the area development scheme.
The Commission has ordered Amritsar Improvement Trust to refund the deposited amount of Rs 15,89,250 along with interest @ 8% p.a. from the date when the last installment was paid by the complainant i.e. from 20.11.2014 till its realization.
The trust has also been directed to pay compensation to the tune of Rs. 75000 along with the litigation expense of Rs. 10000 to the complainant.
The Case
The complainant moved consumer court Amritsar Improvement Trust alleging that the latter has failed to provide basic amenities in the development area even after many years due to which he could not construct a house over the plot that was allotted to him under the scheme.
In his complaint, Harjinder Singh shared that he purchased a plot measuring 250 sq. yards under the scheme floated by the trust for the allotments of plots in 340 acres Area Development Scheme, G.T. Road, Amritsar.
After paying earnest money amounting to Rs 50,000 on October 21, 2014, he paid the part payment of Rs. 15,89,250 to the opposite party in several installments.
“At the time of briefing the allotment, the official of the opposite party assured the complainant that the Trust would provide all the basic facilities like water, electricity, sewerage, pucca road, and LPG gas pipelines in the said residential area where the plot was CC. 599 of 2023 3 allotted to the complainant but to date no such facilities have been provided by the opposite party to the allottee of the plots. Even all the allottees including the complainant several times visited the opposite party and requested them to provide the facilities assured by the opposite party at the time of allotment. Due to the lack of facilities, the usage of the above-noted plots became useless, and accordingly, the complainant could not construct and shift in the colony due to the non-availability of basic amenities. On account of the non-availability of basic amenities and other developments, the plots in the said area are lying vacant. No sewerage treatment plant has been installed which is a primary condition of the Punjab Pollution Control Board for any residential colony to start the sale of plots. Even clearance from the Punjab Pollution Control Board was not sought. The opposite party has failed to obtain the completion and occupancy certificate from the concerned authority to date. Even if the part-work that is completed is of substandard quality and poor work by the opposite party. Despite the project of the opposite party being incomplete, due to this, the complainant is not in a position to construct a house over the plot in question. The complainant has requested the opposite party several times for demarcation of the plot CC. 599 of 2023 4 and possession of the plot but the opposite party always used to put off the matter on one pretext or the other. The complainant cannot be made to wait for an indefinite period for the delivery of possession despite making part payment towards the price of the plot. This act of the opposite party amounts to a deficiency in service as well as unfair trade practice,” the counsel of the complainant told the consumer forum.
