Garhwal Post Bureau
Kotdwar (Pauri), 4 Nov: In a major action against corruption in Uttarakhand, the Vigilance Department today arrested the fire officer in-charge of the Kotdwar Fire Station for allegedly accepting a bribe in connection with the issuance of a fire No Objection Certificate (NOC) to a hotel in Lansdowne, Pauri Garhwal district.
According to Vigilance officials, the complainant had approached the Fire Department for obtaining a fire NOC for his hotel located in Lansdowne. During the process, Bhupesh Tyagi, In-charge Fire Officer at the Kotdwar Fire Station and posted as leading fireman, allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 20,000 for issuing the required NOC.
Following the complaint, the Vigilance Sector, Dehradun, conducted a discreet verification of the allegations. After the complaint was found to be genuine and the case was considered fit for a trap operation, an FIR was registered at Vigilance Sector Police Station, Dehradun.
Subsequently, a trap team was constituted and a planned operation was carried out by the Vigilance Department. Today, the team caught Bhupesh Tyagi red-handed while allegedly accepting Rs 6,000 as part of the demanded bribe amount from the complainant. He was arrested on the spot.
The Vigilance Department said further legal action is being taken against the accused official in accordance with the law. The case has raised serious questions over the functioning of the Fire Department, particularly in relation to the issuance of fire NOCs, which are an important requirement for the commercial establishments.
Officials said that while the total alleged demand was Rs 20,000, the accused was apprehended while receiving Rs 6,000 from the complainant during the trap operation conducted by the Vigilance Sector, Dehradun. Investigations in the matter are continuing.
