CHANDIGARH: Till one and a half years ago the choice before the Punjab Government was cither an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation or registration of a criminal police case. The man in the dock was Lal Singh former Chairman of the PUNSUP and the then Punjab Minister for Health and Family Welfare for Nis alleged involvement in the “PUNSUP cement scandal” But neither not the tow happened thanks to Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.

 The 10-your-old case which had survived the turbulent period in Punjab was silently dropped by Beant Singh last year on the recommendations of the then Food and Supplies Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal. Soon after Lal Singh was further vindicated of the charge when he was appointed the Minister for Food and Supplies replacing Bhatia The personal non grata Of the department till two years ago became its head with the PUNSUP which was the  prime sufferer in the dubious cement deal being one of its Subsidiary units.

Full details of the “white wash Operation” are now available indicating how the line between the criminal and the minister was obliterated. “No useful purpose will be Served cither by resisting a case Or filing a civil suit against them particularly because it was done under the direct orders of the then CM S. Darbara Singh who is now dead the then MD (R.C. Aggarwal) has retired and the Chairman is now a Cabinet Minister” Bhattal wrote in January last year. “Moreover the investigating officer of the Vigilance Bureau has been unable to provethar any illegal pratification was involved she said. Nine other officials of PUNSUP who were facing prosecution pol away seen free however a perusal of the files reveals just the contrary and shows damning evidence against one and all.

Later when most of the imported cement was disposed at the southern pons after import the then Governor B.D Pande ordered an inquiry in December 1983 The Vigilance Bureau which was asked 10 look into the import of cement through the southern ports only dragged its feet on the inquiry and finally in its report submitted in April 1989 recommended that the case be handed over to the CBI Meanwhile PUNSUP management took the stand that the matter should not be pursued since the Corporation made a profit of Rs 1 Crore from the sale.

Against the landed cost of Rumanian cement of Rs 46 per bag and the estimated sale price of Rs 65 PUNSUP agreed to a royalty Of Rs 1 per bag only.

If the tender had been invited properly the royalty would have been much higher.”

Shyama Mann while endorsing a regular inquiry by the Vigilance also criticized the Vigilance Bureau for taking four years in completing initial investigations

It cannot shy away from its own responsibility” she wrote. The then Adviser to Governor T.S.Broca also favored registration of criminal cases against those involved in the “scandalous of fair” Following a meeting in December 1991 between P.K. Verma the then Secretary Romila Dubey the then Director Food and Supplies Amarjit Singh the Logia Remembrance opined that the facts of the case point to a glaring malpractice with criminal intent He said that all the officials could be booked jointly for criminal liability under sections 418 420 and 408 of the IPC and Section 5 (2) of the Corruption Act

But before any decision on the file could be taken Presidents rule came to an end and Bhattal who had been made Minister of P&S sought the file to begin the “operation white-wash. That ultimately cost her the prestigious portfolio is another matter though.

Article extracted from this publication >> March 18, 1994