Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 24 Jul: Uttarakhand Vigilance Establishment today arrested Dhirendra Singh Patwal, Project Officer posted at the Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA) in Bageshwar, while accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 from a complainant for clearing pending files related to solar plant joint inspection reports. The complainant had approached the Vigilance Establishment stating that four of his files concerning solar plant inspections had been kept pending for a long time and that the officer was demanding between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 per file to process them. He reported that a total demand of Rs 40,000 was made and expressed his unwillingness to pay, requesting action against the corrupt official.
On receiving the complaint, a preliminary inquiry confirmed the allegations. Acting under the supervision of the Superintendent of Police, Vigilance Establishment, Sector Haldwani, a trap team led by an Inspector was constituted. The team carried out the operation today and caught Patwal red‑handed while taking the bribe from the complainant. The accused, originally a resident of Rajnagar, Pirumadara in Ramnagar in district Nainital, has been serving as Project Officer at UREDA, Bageshwar at the time of arrest. Further investigative proceedings are underway.
Director Vigilance Dr V Murugesan has appealed to the public to actively participate in the campaign against corruption by lodging complaints on the toll‑free number 1064 and the WhatsApp helpline number 9456592300. He emphasised that public involvement remains the greatest strength in the fight against corruption.
