In the early hours of Tuesday, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau apprehended former state minister and Congress leader Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, together with 2 others, on bribery charges.
The prior Amarinder Singh-led government’s welfare spending and forest minister was arrested in Amloh for his role in organized corruption involving the issuance of authorizations for tree cutting, the transmission of officials, purchases, and the issuing of no-objection certificates (NOC). Dharamsot, on the other hand, has denied the allegations, claiming that he is being falsely accused. He was later sentenced to three days in police custody by a Mohali court.
The other two arrested by the VB include Kamalpreet Singh Kamal, then media advisor of Dharamsot, and Chamkaur Singh, retired range officer-cum-OSD to the then minister. A VB spokesperson said that a district forest officer (DFO), Guramanpreet Singh, and private contractor Harmohinder Singh Hummy were arrested on June 2 for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe from colonizer Davinder Singh Sandhu instead of not demolishing farmhouses developed by his company WWICS in the vicinity of New Chandigarh, Mohali.
During questioning, the duo claimed that a “depth connection of organized corrupt practices” has existed between legislators, their affiliates, and tree dept officials since 2017.
During questioning, Hummy revealed that he’d been keeping a diary of bribes given to high-ranking forest department officers, and government figures, on their front from time to time since 2017. The diary was found at his home, according to a VB spokesperson. The contents of the diary were examined and investigated, revealing the perpetrators’ methods, which led to their arrest.
During questioning of the contractor and the DFO, Punjab Vigilance Bureau chief director Varinder Kumar said it became clear that the former minister was involved in the scandal.
After obtaining the required license from the forests division in the title of his firm Gurhar Associates, Hummy began to cut and try to sell Khair trees. He had acquired a permit to cut approximately 7000 trees during the October-March season, about which he paid a bribe of Rs 1000 per tree, which include Rs 500 to Dharamsot, Rs 200 to DFO, and Rs 100 to each range cop, block officer, and a forest guard.
According to the investigation, the minister received around Rs 1.25 crore in council throughout the course of his tenure. According to Kumar, money was received on his behalf by Kamaljit Singh, a Khanna-based journalist, and Chamkaur Singh, OSD to Dharamsot.
Kumar claimed that over his assistants, Dharamsot allegedly received bribes of Rs 10 to 20 lakh for the transmission of a DFO, Rs 5 5 to 8 lakh for a ranger, Rs 5 lakh for a framed official, and Rs 2 to 3 lakh for a forest guard.
Moreover, the spokesperson claimed that Dharamsot used to accept bribes from colonizers, recently installed filling stations, shareholders of new projects, as well as restaurants and hotels, in exchange for issuing NOCs instead oflieu of passing on forested areas.
Suggested Read: World No Tobacco Day 2022
Amit Shah to inaugurate National Tribal Research Institute in Delhi today
NASA’s DAVINCI Mission to unravel mysteries of the planet Venus
Get daily updates and trendy news to enhance your knowledge with every topic covered. Including fashion, technology, current affairs, travel news, health-related news, sports news, Business, Political News, and many more.
For more information visit Live News Dekho