Ludhiana: BJP leader seeks probe into reinstatement of MC official

Former councillor and senior BJP leader Inder Aggarwal has called for immediate action from MC commissioner Sandeep Rishi to cancel the reinstatement of Pankaj Garg

The controversy surrounding the reinstatement of Pankaj Garg, the district finance and accounts officer (DFAO) of municipal corporation, has taken a new turn with former councillor and senior BJP leader Inder Aggarwal criticizing the move, questioning whose orders led to Garg’s reappointment.

Ludhiana MC commissioner said, “Pankaj Garg was not suspended as inquiry is going on and nothing concrete has come out against him. The work is divided between the accountants and these are administrative transfers.” (Getty image)

Garg, who is under investigation for his alleged involvement in a multi-crore fake salary scam, was recently reinstated to his former position without the conclusion of the investigation or clearance from the committee.

Aggarwal has called for immediate action from MC commissioner Sandeep Rishi to cancel the reinstatement. He urged the district deputy commissioner and police commissioner to intervene as per chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s recent directives on corruption.

“On one hand, CM Bhagwant Mann makes hollow claims of zero tolerance towards corruption, while on the other, corruption runs rampant in MC,” Aggarwal said.

He added that initially, 44 people were implicated in the scam, which later increased to 59. According to people familiar with the matter, the number of those involved has now risen to 110, with the amount transferred to fake accounts escalating from ₹5 crore to potentially ₹15-20 crore.

The MC commissioner said, “Pankaj Garg was not suspended as inquiry is going on and nothing concrete has come out against him. The work is divided between the accountants and these are administrative transfers.”