Engineer sentenced in bribery case in Bhuj

Zaverilal R Gala, chief engineer at the Kutch Lignite Power station (KLPS) in Panandhro, was awarded three-year rigorous imprisonment  and a fine of Rs18,000 by a special court in a bribe case, here on Saturday.

Gala had taken Rs20,000 as bribe from a contractor supplying water to the power plant, to wave recovery of excess payment of Rs22 lakh made to him by the KLPS.

Contractor Pravin Chaudhary approached ACB and on his formal complaint a trap was laid. The complainant went to the residence of Gala at Panandhro on January 31, 2003 and handed him Rs20,000 as the first instalment of the total promised amount of Rs1 lakh. As soon as the accused put the currency notes in an open drawer of his table, the waiting ACB team nabbed him red-handed.