Panchayat Minister orders strict action after Solar Lights scam of Rs 25 Lakh unearthed in Khanna
Punjab’s Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond ordered strict action after a scam involving of Rs 25 lakh in the installation of solar lights came to fore Khanna block.
City Air News
Aug 19, 2025 08:45
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Khanna (Ludhiana), August 19, 2025: Punjab’s Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond ordered strict action after a scam involving of Rs 25 lakh in the installation of solar lights came to fore Khanna block.
The Minister stated that Bhupinder Singh Bhinda had secured a Rs 1 crore tender through his son, Jasdev Singh, to carry out solar light installations in 20 villages of Khanna block. Investigations have confirmed irregularities amounting to Rs 24.52 lakh in this project. The probe revealed that the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO), Assistant Engineer (AE), Junior Engineer (JE), and the contractor are directly accountable for the misappropriation. He added that the investigation report has clearly established their guilt and vowed that the Punjab Government will not spare anyone involved in defrauding public funds.
Sond announced that the implicated officials will face immediate suspension and chargesheets. Additionally, the government will recover every penny of the misappropriated funds from the contractor and other responsible parties.
The scam was exposed by complainant Santokh Singh Bainipal, who obtained critical details through a Right to Information (RTI) request. In 2023, Bainipal submitted a written complaint directly to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, following which probe was carried out.
