Shimla, Jan 2 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Saturday said that the state vigilance bureau and anti-corruption bureau had registered 164 cases against government officials and functionaries last year.
“The vigilance bureau saw an increase in registration of cases last year. It registered 164 cases, which were 71.06 percent more as compared to the previous year (2008),” Dhumal said while launching the website of the vigilance bureau and anti-corruption bureau.

He said that 44 of the total cases were related to bribery. “A sum of Rs.38,69,640 has been recovered from the bribe-seekers.”

Director General of Police (Vigilance) D.S. Manhas said that the website would be an interactive site and would also enable people to file complaints. However, no anonymous complaints would be entertained, he added.

The vigilance bureau last year arrested Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board’s chief engineer (operations) Litesh Malhotra while accepting a bribe of Rs.425,000 from a contractor.

Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sanjay Gupta, who was managing director of the General Industries Corporation, was arrested in July from a hotel in the state’s Parwanoo town with Rs.200,000 in cash.

Similarly, the bureau registered corruption cases against union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife were registered Aug 3, 2009, under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The complaint against Singh alleges misuse of his official position and criminal misconduct when he was chief minister of the state in 1989.

According to police, they were booked on the basis of an audio CD released by Singh’s political adversary Vijai Singh Mankotia in 2007.

In the CD, Singh was heard referring to some monetary transactions on the phone with IAS officer Mahinder Lal, who is now dead. The CD also contained recordings of his wife and some industrialists.