Chandigarh, June 21 (IANS) The Punjab vigilance arrested Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sanjay Popli and his secretary on corruption charges.
As per the FIR, Popli allegedly sought one per cent commission from a contractor of a Rs 7 crore sewerage project in the Nawanshahr town during the previous Congress regime.
The contractor paid Rs 3.5 lakh through Sanjeev Vats, a Superintendent-level official posted as secretary to the officer, who was heading the Water Supply and Sewerage Board, on January 12.
The officials said Popli was seeking the remaining Rs 3.5 lakh from the contractor, who recorded his phone calls and complained on the anti-corruption helpline set up by the present Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
The officer was arrested from his house in Chandigarh on Monday evening.
The heavy rain in the region on Monday also affected schoolchildren in the Morni area as they were seen crossing the swollen Ghaggar river on their way back from school with the help of a pipe.
A first-time air passenger was on Monday taken into custody for trying to open the exit door of an aircraft mistaking it for that of the lavatory, triggering panic among flyers on board.
At a time when policymakers are grappling on how to reduce inequalities, a wealth report on Tuesday said there has been a 34 per cent increase in the number of Indians having a networth of Rs 1,000 crore or more.
Three more militants were killed in an ongoing counter-infiltration operation at Tangdhar, taking the militant toll in the operation that began on Saturday to five.
As incessant rain continues, the Punjab government on Monday issued a red alert in the state, asking all district authorities to remain on constant vigil.
