Former Punjab minister Ashu arrested for corruption
Darpan News Desk IANS, 22 Aug, 2022 12:36 PM
Chandigarh, Aug 22 (IANS) Congress leader and former Punjab Food and Supply Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Monday was arrested by a team of the Vigilance Bureau from Ludhiana city in the alleged tender allotment scam.
He is the second minister from the previous government who has been arrested by the AAP government on charges of corruption.
In June, the bureau arrested former minister and Congress leader Sadhu Singh Dharamsot on corruption charges.
Ashu has been named as an accused in the preferential allotment of tenders for labour, cartage, and transportation of foodgrains.
Contractor Telu Ram had, during interrogation, blamed the former minister of involvement in the scam.
The operation was carried out in all seven border districts of Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Batala, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Fazilka. Major focus of this operation was to keep vigil on movement of drones carrying drugs and arms, ammunition, explosives and grenades in the border areas, an official statement said.
The passenger was intending to fly to Dubai by flight IX-141 from T3 on Thursday. Offloaded on the basis of suspicion, the man and his luggage was checked and the US currency recovered from plastic thread roll in his trolley bag.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday laid the foundation stone for the Sant Attar Singh State Institute of Medical Sciences at Mastuana Sahib in Sangrur district to come up over an area of 25 acres with an estimated cost of nearly Rs 345 crore.
The Customs officials at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow have found six gold bars in a dustbin near the immigration area at the airport. The confiscated gold bars are valued at Rs 36.60 lakh in the market.
Of the arrested trio, one was caught with 250 gms Mephedrone valued at Rs 37.50 lakh and the other with 2.70 kgs of Mephedrone worth Rs 4.14 crore in the market. After sustained interrogation, the woman accused revealed details on their two associates of whom one was picked up late on Tuesday (August 2) and the fifth was caught with the narcotics consignment on Wednesday (August 3).
Announcing an amnesty for defaulting domestic electricity consumers, Power Minister Harbhajan Singh said the outstanding electricity bills till December 31, 2021, of those who have not paid their dues till June 30, 2022, have been waived.
