Manimajra senior fire officer sought ₹1 lakh for NOC: CBI probe

A day after CBI arrested Manimajra station fire officer Dasehru Singh and leading fireman Kamleshwar Nehra for demanding bribe to issue a fire no-objection certificate (NOC), probe by the investigating agency has revealed that the accused had initially demanded ₹1 lakh.

A recorded conversation between Singh and the complainant also suggested that such payments were a regular practice for processing NOCs.

The corruption had come to light after a complaint by Deepak Sharma, an engineer with VK Fire Safety and System, Zirakpur.

In his handwritten complaint, Sharma reported that his company had installed a fire-fighting and fire alarm system at SCO 179/180, Sector 8-C, Chandigarh.

After completing the work, Sharma’s firm applied for the NOC. However, he claimed that senior fire officer Dasheru Singh and leading fireman Kamleshwar Nehra, who was also Singh’s PA, demanded a bribe of ₹1 lakh for issuing the certificate.

In his complaint, Sharma identified both Singh and Nehra as the individuals involved in the extortion attempt. When Sharma expressed that the bribe demand was too high, Singh allegedly reduced the amount to ₹80,000 after repeated requests.

In a recorded conversation, Singh told Sharma that for a small SCO, the rate for NOC was ₹1 lakh only, hinting at a system wherein such bribes were being collected as routine for issuance of NOC.

Singh also told him that there were several faults in the fire safety system and it would not be possible to lower the amount any further.

CBI is also looking into the role of Nehra as well as other senior officers of the department.

Following Singh’s arrest, the agency seized ₹4 lakh in cash and incriminating documents from Singh’s house, said a CBI spokesperson. Singh was sent to judicial custody on Friday.

MC chief fire officer meets station fire officers

Meanwhile, municipal corporation’s chief fire officer Isha Kamboj held an emergency meeting on Friday with all station fire officers across the city to address the implications of the bribery incident and reinforce anti-corruption protocols within the department.

According to MC officials, the chief fire officer will suspend the two accused if they remain in police custody for over 48 hours. However, no departmental inquiry has yet been initiated against them.

“The meeting was convened to review the details of the incident. It was found that the complainant had applied for the fire NOC but failed to meet the necessary compliance requirements. The fire equipment was not in place, and despite not adhering to the National Building Code regulations, the complainant sought to obtain the NOC,” said MC officials.