Chandigarh, May 20
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has arrested former PSPCL Chief Managing Director K.D. Chaudhary, former Senior XEN Sanjeev Prabhakar, and builder Amit Garg in connection with an alleged irregularity linked to the installation of a 66 KV power substation in Ludhiana. According to officials, the arrests were made by the Economic Offences Wing of the Vigilance Bureau in Ludhiana after an investigation that began in 2021. The case centres on the installation of the 66 KV Basant Avenue substation, which investigators allege was approved in violation of established guidelines.
A spokesperson for the bureau said the substation was set up on nearly 1,015 square yards inside the Basant Avenue colony through alleged collusion between the coloniser and officials of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited. Investigators claim that if power department officials had properly examined the No Objection Certificates (NOCs) of all adjoining colonies owned by the same developer, the combined electricity demand would have been assessed together. In that case, officials say, the full cost of establishing the substation should have been borne by the coloniser rather than falling elsewhere.
The Vigilance Bureau also alleged that central government guidelines regarding the installation of substations were ignored during the approval process.
Officials further stated that the substation is situated around three kilometres from Pakhowal Link Road, in what they described as undeveloped fields with no proper paved access road. According to the investigation, these details were allegedly omitted from official proposals and internal records submitted to senior authorities within the power department.
The proposal submitted by field officers, including then XEN Sanjeev Prabhakar, was later approved by K.D. Chaudhary despite objections and noted shortcomings, investigators alleged.
Authorities say the alleged decisions directly benefited the Basant Avenue project and its developers. The three accused are currently under investigation, and the Vigilance Bureau said further inquiries into the case are ongoing.
