Chandigarh Vigilance arrested the head draftsman and JE of the building branch of the estate office in Sector 17, caught red-handed in a Rs 15,000 bribery case on Friday. The arrested individuals were identified as head draftsman Bipin Bagga and JE Vishnu Kumar. Vigilance registered a case under the Corruption Act and apprehended them. Both accused will be presented in court on Saturday.
The complaint alleged that head draftsman Bipin Bagga demanded a bribe of Rs 15,000 for the removal of violations and inspection clearances. The complainant reported the matter to Vigilance. The Vigilance Cell laid a trap and arrested Bipin Bagga red-handed while accepting the bribe on behalf of JE Vishnu Kumar. Subsequently, JE Vishnu Kumar was also arrested.
It is reported that “Babus” have been occupying public dealing seats within the Chandigarh UT Administration for many years, which is believed to be a significant factor contributing to corruption. It has been observed that an employee has been occupying the same seat in the SDM South office for the past 8 years with the help of influence. Similarly, in numerous other offices, bureaucrats and officers have held the same positions for more than 5 years, contrary to the regulation of the Chandigarh UT Administration, which limits the tenure of such positions to 3 years. Even within the engineering wing of the Chandigarh administration, several SDOs and JEs have held the same positions for an extended period.
Despite complaints from the public, these grievances are often suppressed through influence. To encourage reporting of bribery or favoritism by officials, citizens are urged to contact the Vigilance Department through various channels, including the mobile number 8360817378, which offers 24-hour WhatsApp messaging facility.