Chandigarh, Dec 31 (IANS) The Punjab government has suspended 11 senior civic officials in Ludhiana for their alleged involvement in a financial racket running into crores of rupees, a spokesperson said here Thursday.
Four executive engineers, three assistant municipal engineers, two junior engineers and two deputy controllers finance and accounts of the Municipal Corporation in the industrial hub of Ludhiana, about 100 km from here, were suspended by the local bodies minister Manoranjan Kalia.

“Three contractors in connivance with these officials had illegitimately drawn Rs.75 lakh (Rs.7.5 million) and made fake bills amounting to crores of rupees,” a spokesperson said.

The minister also ordered strict administrative departmental action against them.

“These senior officials have brought a bad name to the department. We cannot spare them and strict action will be taken against all of them,” said Kalia.

He added that a special vigilance team had been constituted to check the Ludhiana MC’s records and it would submit the detailed report about the financial scam within a month.