Punjab Infotech scam: Finance Minister orders probe

Saturday, 05/01/2013

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Chandigarh : Accepting the recommendation of the Industries and Commerce Minister Anil Joshi, the Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa has ordered a thorough probe into the financial affairs of the public sector undertaking, Punjab Infotech. Acting swiftly on the order, the Finance department has begun inquiries into the financial irregularities while the Examiner Local Funds Account has been asked to probe into other discrepancies pertaining to the allotment of industrial plots and their cancellation by the Infotech.

“We would conduct the probe in the minimum possible time and submit its report shortly for further necessary action,” a senior officer told Daily Post here, on Friday.

Joshi had requested Finance Minister to ask Examiner Local Funds Account to conduct a thorough inquiry into the financial affairs of Punjab Infotech at the earliest and submit the report to the department. The Industries Minister had recommended the probe after taking a serious note of depleting of huge fixed deposits of the Corporation besides other discrepancies.

He had also taken a serious view of the allotment of consultancy work for Rajpura and Railmajra Information Technology Parks. Joshi had requested Dhindsa to get the inquiry conducted expeditiously so that administrative action could be initiated against the wrongdoers on the basis of the inquiry report. He had also stressed that bringing Punjab Infotech and other boards and corporations of the state under the ambit of the Examiner Local Fund Accounts was imperative to bring transparency in the working of such public sector undertakings. Joshi, being the Minister incharge, had been asking for the detailed accounts of Infotech’s fixed deposits amounting to Rs 40 to 50 crore but despite repeated reminders, the officers concerned failed to give any satisfactory reply to him.

“Minister was peeved at the manner in which the huge amount was utilised, especially when no major development work or other such project was initiated,” a source close to him confided. Moreover, Joshi was upset over the manner in which several industrial plots were sold and later their allotments were cancelled, favouring the bidders at the cost of Infotech. “In certain cases the mandatory 25 per cent earnest was not taken before making allotments while in several cases, earnest money was returned to the defaulters after helping them out in the litigations,” the Minister was reportedly told. The hiring of private consultancy firms at hefty amounts and direct contractual recruitments, especially of young females, are also disturbing the Minister.