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.
Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Friday expressed concerns at the apathy on the part of states, including Punjab, to take action against dubious agents running racket of illegally sending people abroad.
A preliminary magisterial probe report on Friday sought “deeper investigation” into the conduct of the father of three girls, who allegedly died due to starvation in East Delhi, and said he had given them some “unknown medicine”.
Sacked from the position of Leader of Opposition, Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira on Friday took a defiant stand asking Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership to revoke the decision.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said that her ministry is framing a new law to tackle the problem in NRI marriages and providing for deterrent measures like confiscating property of NRIs who have abandoned their wives.
