Punjab

Former minister Balbir Sidhu summoned by Vigilance in disproportionate assets case

punjabenews

Mohali News: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has summoned former Congress minister and BJP leader Balbir Singh Sidhu on April 21 for the ongoing probe in the disproportionate assets case. The Bureau has initiated a probe against Balbir Sidhu and his brother and Mohali Municipal Corporation Mayor Amarjit Singh alias Jeeti for the last six months in connection with a case of disproportionate income.

According to the preliminary report of the Vigilance, the Bureau has not only prepared a list of benami properties named by the Mayor of Mohali but has also collected land grabbing, irregularities in development works carried out by the Mohali Municipal Corporation and other facts.
According to vigilance sources, the government had given the green signal in November last year for an inquiry against the Sidhu brothers.
Vigilance officials said the Sidhu brothers misused their official position to create properties in Mohali, Ropar, Barnala and Bathinda districts as well as in Chandigarh. When the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in Punjab, Balbir Sidhu and his mayor brother took over the BJP’s reins. Vigilance has launched a probe against the third former minister who quit the Congress and joined the BJP.
Earlier, Sham Sunder Arora has been arrested by the Vigilance and a similar investigation is being carried out by the Vigilance against former Minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar.
In the preliminary report of the Vigilance, the properties and properties created by Balbir Singh Sidhu and his family members include land in Bathinda, Barnala and Ropar districts along with a share in three SCO numbers 33, 34 and 35 in Sector 34 of Chandigarh, 68 acres of land shared in the name of Mayor Bhai in village Manakmajra in Mohali.
The report also mentions that there are half a dozen expensive cars. The vigilance report also mentions transactions worth crores of rupees through the accounts of various banks. Balbir Sidhu has been a minister in the Cabinet headed by Captain Amarinder Singh.