Vigilance bureau to book PCS officer for corruption

Punjab vigilance bureau is all set to register an FIR against PCS officer Nachattar Singh Brar, posted as the Faridkot district transport officer, for alleged corruption.

Brar, a 2005 batch PCS officer, is on an extended term with the government and will retire in February 2015. Chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal on Tuesday cleared the file approving the registration of a case against the officer.

Highly placed sources said the officer had organised a “fake” auction of fancy numbers in Faridkot as the DTO.

VB officials said the fancy numbers were sold on the sly, allegedly by agents in connivance with the DTO.

However, the fancy numbers were shown as having been sold during an auction. Those shown participating in the auction told VB officials that they never participated in it.

The VB began a probe into Brar’s assets and found gross instances of corruption, said a senior vigilance officer. The probe into Brar’s assets would continue after the registration of the case, VB officials said.

Vigilance officials, who visited the and conducted the initial inquiry, said Brar was also allegedly presiding over a system of registering vehicles without the requisite proof of residence.

In many such registration papers, the VB found incomplete or wrong addresses given by the applicants. Such applications were processed and the registration done, allegedly for monetary gratification. The VB also hinted at the possibility of several stolen vehicles being registered in Faridkot.

Sources said Brar was allegedly working in close collaboration with a Mansa-based agent who used to be with Brar most of the time.

The VB will also book the agent. Vigilance officials said the agent would use Brar’s car to move about and collected applications on his behalf. He processed the papers and was virtually running the DTO office in Faridkot.

VB officials also found that the DTO office was issuing no objection certificates (NOCs) to hypothecated vehicles even before the due payment of the loans was made by the owners to the banks.

Vehicles running on loans in Rajasthan were brought to the Faridkot office to get NOCs for Rs 25000, said VB sources. This, too, worked through a system of agents operating in the DTO office.