Vigilance Registers Case Against Viticulture Council Chief V.S.Chimni

Rs. 4.00 Crore Diverted Irregularly To Another Council Without Approval

5 Dariya News

Chandigarh 26-Jun-2013

The Vigilance Bureau Punjab has registered a case against V.S.Chimni, CEO, Viticulture Council of Punjab for irregular persion of Rs. 4.00 crore to the Punjab Council for Citrus and Agri-Juicing (CCAJ) for paying off land lease overdue to the farmers without obtaining necessary approval from the competent authority.

Disclosing this here today, Mr. Sursh Arora, Chief Director-cum-DGP Vigilance Bureau Punjab said that in this regard a criminal case FIR No. 8 dated 26.6.2013 has been registered at Vigilance Bureau Police Station, Flying Squad-I at Mohali u/s 409 IPC, 13(1) (d) R/W 13(2) 1988 Prevention of Corruption Act. Giving details he said that the project approval board of the State Government in its meeting held on 27.11.2006, approved the proposal of setting up the Grape based winery project in the state and decided that a smaller unit with a total capital cost of Rs. 4.00 crore be set up to process the grape production. He added that initially, the money was to be invested by Punjab Agro Industries Corporation Limited (PAICL) since the State Viticulture Council has applied for a grant under National Horticulture Mission Scheme (NHMS). "It was decided that if the grant amount received from NHM it would be paid back to the PAIC or otherwise, a new company be registered and shares equivalent to the investment made by the PAIC would be allotted", he said.

Vigilance Chief further added that on the basis of this approval, the PAIC released the entire amount of Rs. 4 crore on 12.02.2007 as advance to Viticulture Council of Punjab (VCOP) for setting up of a grape based winery project at Talwandi Sabo. But later, during the month of August 2010, VCOP transferred the total fund to the state Citrus Council for paying off land lease overdue to the farmers without obtaining necessary approval from the Project Approval Board (PAB), a competent authority. 

He said that the state government after examining the irregular persion of Rs. 4.00 crore sent the case to Vigilance Bureau for registration of a criminal case against the then CEO (who happens to be same person for both VCOP and CCAJ) and other functionaries involved in this decision for criminal breach of trust and misuse of official position. After finding the veracity of facts on record vigilance has registered this case which was under further investigation.