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Inflation in corruption : Babudom demanding more 'money'

Demand for corruption it seems is increasingly getting linked to inflation. Higher the cost of living more the ‘demand’. Gone are the days of asking for gratification in loose money. A look at statistics of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) one tends to get a feeling that corrupt babudom seemed to have honed skills in reading market better as their greed only shows increasing graph over the years. The ACB Nagpur registered 135 cases against corrupt government officials in year 2016 and amount of whopping 33.87 lakh was seized during the traps. In year 2015, ACB had booked 173 corrupt Government officials and total demand of trap amount was only Rs 17.73 lakh. It means though ACB cases registered a drop of 21.96 per cent in year 2016, however the ‘trap money’ increased by 91.03 per cent during the same year. This increase of 91.03 per cent in ‘trap money’ has raised eyebrows of senior officials of ACB. While talking to The Hitavada, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) ACB,

CBI traps RPF Inspector, constable at Nagbhid

Anti-Corruption Wing of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) trapped a Inspector of Railway Protection Force (RPF) and his writer for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 8,000 from a man who is accused in a Railway Act case. The trap was conducted at 4 pm when Inspector Unmeshkumar Charote and his writer constable Sunil Malkhede were at Nagbhid RPF station of South East Central Railway (SECR). According to information, Arif Khan, a scrap dealer of Chandrapur is accused under Railway Act case for stealing railway property. “RPF seized an Over Head Wire (OHE) from house of Khan in November and offence was registered under Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1966,” said Divisional Security Commandant (SECR) Ramkumar Dubey. Khan was frequently called to RPF station during course of investigation. Inspector Charote and his writer asked Khan to pay Rs 5,000 to manage the case and avoid frequent trips to RPF post. Khan complained to CBI about the demand. The CBI of

MSEDCL unearths major power theft by Nagpur Metro Rail contractor

Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), on Saturday, unearthed major power theft by a contractor of Nagpur Metro Railway Corporation Limited (NMRCL) during execution of the work to demolish Chhatrapati Square flyover. “The contractor had installed 19 floodlights and the lights were connected directly to feeder pillar of MSEDCL,” said K P Bhise, Executive Engineer of MSEDCL’s Congress Nagar Zone. Another MSEDCL official said that prima facie Nagarjuna Construction was found to be involved in the matter and Section 135 of Electricity Act would be invoked against it for power theft. Other players including officials of NMRCL or sub-contractors may be booked if their role in power theft comes to fore during investigation, the official said. Acting on a tip-off, a team of MSEDCL inspected the site and found illegal power supply to broad-beamed, high-intensity floodlights used during execution of work to demolish Chhatrapati Square flyover. MSEDCL offic

Shortage of ACPs 'hits' policing in Maharashtra

Non filling-up of 50 per cent vacancies in the ranks of officers of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in Maharashtra is taking its toll on policing. The post of ACP is crucial in the hierarchy of the police department and is the first step at supervisory level of ground force. The vacancies figure has bloated due to delay in finalising promotions in State Police Service (SPS) ranks. At Nagpur Police Commissionerate alone eight post of ACP from the sanctioned strength of 23 are lying vacant. In Maharashtra, about 359 ACP posts are of the sanctioned 800 are lying vacant since last one year. The administrative delays and lack of political will in sticking to schedule of career progress in SPS cadre has created this situation. The absence of ACP directly affects vigilance and maintenance of law and order problem. Sources informed that along with Nagpur, 43 posts in Mumbai Commissionerate, eight in Thane, six in Nasik, three in Aurangabad have not been filled so far. A sen

ACB books lawyer, attorny and PSI for bribe

Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officers on Friday caught Adv Harshal Diwakar Rathod and attorney Ganesh Amrutlal Jaiswal red-handed while accepting bribe of Rs 15 lakh cash on behalf of Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) Umakant Rathod from a Yavatmal-based man for not initiating action against him in a theft case registered at Lakadganj Police Station. After the lawyer and attorney were trapped with the cash at Tekdi Ganesh Mandir near Railway Station, PSI Umakant Rathod, attached to Lakadganj Police Station, managed to give a slip to the bureau officers. A resident of Yavatmal, Sunil Bhaisare was booked in a theft case. An offence under Section 379 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against Bhaisare at Lakadganj Police Station for allegedly stealing Rs five lakh cash from a dal mill owner Dilip Bhujade. PSI Rathod, who was investigating the case, contacted Bhaisare and informed him that a theft case was registered against him. PSI Rathod told him that either he should s

Sales Tax Departmentt issues notices to 11 betelnut traders

Sales Tax Department has issued notices to 11 betelnut traders to ensure entry of purchase of betelnut in the purchase register. “After ensuring the entry of purchase, the trader would have to pay 5.5% Value Added Tax (VAT) after sell,” confirmed Gajendra Raut, Deputy Commissioner, Sales Tax (Investigation Wing). The betelnut traders have imported 345 tonnes of betelnut from Dimapur, Assam. A goods train of 25 wagons arrived at Itwari railway station on Wednesday with betelnuts worth Rs 8.75 crores. After receiving information of smuggling and sub-standard betelnuts, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) had called Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to check the quality and Sales Tax department to inspect purchase papers of the goods. A RPF officer informed that FDA did not find anything wrong in the consignment and booking manager cleared the betelnuts. However, the sales tax department is ensuring the entry in the purchase register. It may be mentioned that a joint

Kalamna Police book Ranjit Safelkar

KALAMNA Police on Tuesday booked Ranjit Halke Safelkar, BJP leader and Vice-President of Kamptee Municipal Council, and one of his accomplices Vijay Keshavrao Bhujade in a land grabbing case. Cops registered an offence of cheating and forgery for grabbing a dead person’s huge land (Survey No. 85-old, No. 103 new) situated at Mauza Dhargaon (Patwari halka No 20) in Kamptee Tehsil. Accused Safelkar, who considered as a close aide of a senior BJP leader, is a resident of Old Kamptee. Accused Bhujade is a resident of Pardi, Bhandara Road. According to Police, the farm land belonged to Sayyed Ahmed Papamiya who died in 1964. As there was no claimant, Safelkar in connivance with Bhujade and some others, hatched a conspiracy to grab the land. They allegedly prepared a fake agreement of sale of the land on a Rs 500 stamp paper to show that the property belonged to them. The accused duo then put up a board on the said land claiming that the property belonged to them. Kalamna Police reg