MOHALI: The Punjab vigilance bureau, in the interrogation of former forest minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, has learnt that the forest scam involves many former ministers, IFS officers and other forest officials.
The bureau has also claimed that arrested DFO Guramanpreet Singh Brar had amassed wealth disproportionate to his income. Sources in the bureau said a fresh FIR regarding disproportionate assets was going to be registered against the DFO.
Former forest minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot was produced in the court in Mohali, which remanded him in 14 days of judicial custody. Punjab vigilance bureau on June 2 arrested Mohali district forest officer Gurmanpreet Singh and contractor Harmahinder Singh alias Hammi for accepting a bribe of Rs 2,00,000 in favour of Davinder Singh Sandhu, owner of WWICS Estate Pvt. Ltd, at Masol and Tanda villages of Mohali.
Sources said vigilance had issued summons to previous DFOs to explain their stand. Vigilance has also taken into custody the records of many forest officers, said sources.
During interrogation of Guramanpreet, the bureau learnt how he was only transferred out of Mohali for brief periods and was brought back. Vigilance also questioned many wood contractors of Kandi area in which they had named Guramanpreet for harassing them to pay money in lieu of cutting trees even on government permit.
The bureau also discovered that Guramanpreet in his five-year tenure in Mohali had purchased a property in Mohali and on a one-kanal plot,…
The bureau has also claimed that arrested DFO Guramanpreet Singh Brar had amassed wealth disproportionate to his income. Sources in the bureau said a fresh FIR regarding disproportionate assets was going to be registered against the DFO.
Former forest minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot was produced in the court in Mohali, which remanded him in 14 days of judicial custody. Punjab vigilance bureau on June 2 arrested Mohali district forest officer Gurmanpreet Singh and contractor Harmahinder Singh alias Hammi for accepting a bribe of Rs 2,00,000 in favour of Davinder Singh Sandhu, owner of WWICS Estate Pvt. Ltd, at Masol and Tanda villages of Mohali.
Sources said vigilance had issued summons to previous DFOs to explain their stand. Vigilance has also taken into custody the records of many forest officers, said sources.
During interrogation of Guramanpreet, the bureau learnt how he was only transferred out of Mohali for brief periods and was brought back. Vigilance also questioned many wood contractors of Kandi area in which they had named Guramanpreet for harassing them to pay money in lieu of cutting trees even on government permit.
The bureau also discovered that Guramanpreet in his five-year tenure in Mohali had purchased a property in Mohali and on a one-kanal plot,…