RailEnquiry

Chandigarh:
Union Railways Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal’s relatives seem to have flourished apparently under the patronage of their influential family member. Like Bansal’s nephew (sister’s son) Vijay Singla, who had started construction at the Acropolis mall site in Chandigarh without obtaining environmental clearance from the UT administration, another nephew (brother’s son) Vikram Bansal was made independent director in Canara Bank’s joint insurance venture with Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) and HSBC Insurance (Asia Pacific) Ltd.Canara Bank had also extended loans to companies owned by Bansal’s sons and a nephew.Vikram Bansal, who runs BR Advertising firm in the city, became an independent director on the board of Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Company in 2010.His name figures as an independent director on the list of board of directors on company’s website.

Former Member of Parliament and all-India in charge of the BJPs’ legal and legislative cell Satya Pal Jain claimed undue favours were given to Bansal’s relatives. He has demanded a CBI probe to look into the possibility of relatives being recommended by Bansal for top positions in financial institutions.

Vikram Bansal had recently launched a counter-attack on BJP leaders by posting a comment on a social networking site saying: “His (Satya Pal Jain) every word against me and my father-like chacha (Pawan Kumar Bansal) will be given a proper reply. My chachaji is strong and has the confidence of his voters because he understands the value and meaning or relations.”

Judicial custody for Singla

PK Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla, Mahesh Kumar, the suspended Railway Board member, and three other accused -- Singla's close aide Ajay Garg, businessman Sandeep Goyal and Managing Director of GG Tronics India Pvt Ltd, Narain Rao Manjunath, were remanded in judicial custody till May 20 by a Delhi court.