AIT ex-chief's arrest: Vigilance finds irregularities in tender allotment

An official spokesperson of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau said as per findings of the investigation so far, Dinesh Bassi had issued tenders for development works worth Rs 300 to 400 crore during his tenure as the chairman and many irregularities have been found.

Days after the arrest of former chairman of Amritsar Improvement Trust for allegedly misusing his position, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Monday said it has found several irregularities in the allotment of tenders for development works in the city. Congress leader and former chairman of AIT Dinesh Bassi was arrested last week for the alleged irregularities that led to losses to the trust during his tenure from 2019-21. An official spokesperson of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau said as per findings of the investigation so far, Dinesh Bassi had issued tenders for development works worth Rs 300 to 400 crore during his tenure as the chairman and many irregularities have been found. He said preliminary investigation revealed that Bassi had undertaken development work of a community hall, Ram Talai Mandir, GT Road, Amritsar, Valla Stadium at Verka, an under bridge at Jorha Phatak Amritsar, from 2019 to 2021.

Records of these works are being procured to investigate the irregularities thoroughly. The spokesperson said Bassi had enlisted around 37 firms and after looking into the records, it was found that these firms were registered as contractors without obtaining the required documents.

These contractors had been allotted tenders worth crore of rupees by Dinesh Bassi, said the spokesperson. The spokesperson said taking undue advantage of his position, Bassi had illegally allotted various commercial and residential plots to his close associates. PTI JMS CHS VSD RDK