Amritsar, December 31, 2025: The Punjab government has suspended seven officers of the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) in connection with an alleged ₹52.80 crore tender scam, officials said on Tuesday. All the suspended officials are from the Trust’s Engineering Department.
The suspension orders were issued by the Local Government Department under the Punjab Municipal Corporation Rules, 1970. However, the official order does not specify the reasons behind the action.
Those suspended include Superintendent Engineer Sant Bhushan Sachdeva; Executive Engineers Raminderpal Singh and Bikram Singh; Sub-Divisional Officers Sukhripan Pal Singh and Shubham Singh; and Junior Engineers Manpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh.
Earlier, Vigilance SSP Lakhvir Singh was also suspended in connection with the case, though the suspension order did not explicitly link his action to the tender probe.
According to sources, the suspensions stem from alleged irregularities in a ₹52.40 crore tender related to the development of Ranjit Avenue Block-C and a 97-acre scheme under the Amritsar Improvement Trust.
The investigation was initiated following a complaint by Seagull India Limited to the Punjab Chief Secretary. Acting on the complaint, the Amritsar Deputy Commissioner constituted a four-member committee to examine the matter. The committee’s report was subsequently submitted to the Chief Secretary, after which the Local Government Department ordered the suspensions.
The tender controversy surfaced when financial bids were opened on December 18. Sharma Contractors emerged as the lowest (H-1) bidder after quoting a 1.08 percent reduction, while Rajendra Infrastructure offered a 0.25 percent reduction and failed to secure the tender.
Meanwhile, Seagull India Limited and Ganesh Karthike Construction Private Limited were reportedly excluded from the financial bidding process before submitting their bids, with authorities citing technical deficiencies as the reason for their disqualification.
Further action is expected as the probe into the alleged tender irregularities continues.
