Title - Corruption charges haunt GM/NFR Virdi, CVC serves Charge Sheet

Guwahati:  The General Manager of North East Frontier Railway (NFR) Ranjit Singh Virdi has come under the scanner of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for his alleged involvement in a three-year-old case related to irregularities in procurement of perfume dispensers for air conditioned coaches.

The CVC has issued a charge sheet against Virdi asking him to respond to allegations leveled against him, official sources said today.

Calls made to Virdi, a 1972 batch officer of Indian Railways Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME), seeking his comments did not elicit any response.

The Vigilance Directorate under the Ministry of Railways has initiated an inquiry into the alleged irregularities in purchase of perfume dispensers on the basis of a media report, the sources said.

After completion of inquiry, the report was sent to Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for necessary action.

Acting on the Railways Board’s Vigilance Directorate’s report, the CVC has issued the charge sheet against the official, the sources said.

Sources also said that Virdi was also not in the race for the position of Railway Board Chairman, at the time of retirement of the then Chairman Vinay Mittal, as being reported in some sections of media.

At present, Arunendra Kumar (a 1971 batch IRSME officer), is acting as interim Chairman of Railway Board since Mittal’s retirement on June 30.

Virdi is eligible for becoming a Member in the Board, the sources said.

Virdi was appointed General Manager of NFR, one of the 16 zonal railways, in June last year.

It is pertinent to mention that Kul Bhushan, Member Electrical who has been given additional charge of Member Traffic, could not figure in the list of probables who could be considered as interim Chairman of Railway Board due to a CBI inquiry initiated against him in connection with irregularities in the award of a commercial contract.