Gosain further probed, “When the file was misplaced in 2006, how were the documents duplicated? I have been constantly seeking a report on the status of the project, and till date no one has told me that the original file had gone missing.”

On the Rs 1.35 crore paid to contractor Deepak Singhal, Dhanda said: “We have visited the spot and even a layman can easily understand that hardly any work has been done, apart from erecting pillars in the nallah.” Dhanda asked Joint Commissioner Mohinderpal to intensify cleanliness on the nallah.

“More than 4,000 Class IV workers have been posted in Ludhiana, but only about 50 are normally found working on the sites,” said Dhanda.

There are also reports suggesting that Field Ganj Nallah’s is not an exclusive case, as files pertaining to several other projects have been reported missing.

Spotting the guilty

Dharam Singh had joined the Ludhiana office in 2006 as the Superintending Engineer. With Singh averring that the file had been misplaced before his joining the office, Kumar’s role has also come under the scanner.

Steel deal?

Of the total Rs 1.35 crore paid to the contractor, Rs 35 lakh was allotted for steel. Interestingly, no steel has been used in the construction of the nallah. “Where did the steel go?” Dhanda questioned.