Chief Fire Officer (CFO) of the Ahmedabad Fire Brigade Amit Dongre and the middleman were arrested.

Ahmedabad fire brigade official caught taking Rs 36,000 bribe to hand out NOCs

The case concerns approvals for six buildings and puts the spotlight on alleged corruption in civic clearances.

by · India Today

In Short

  • The alleged payment was linked to clearances for six separate buildings
  • Investigators said the officer demanded money in exchange for issuing approvals
  • A middleman was also taken into custody during the anti-corruption operation

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested the Chief Fire Officer (CFO) of the Ahmedabad Fire Brigade and a middleman for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 36,000 to approve Fire No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for six buildings in Ahmedabad.

According to the ACB, applications for Fire NOCs had been submitted through the Gujarat government portal. Investigators said Bhavsinh Jhala, acting on behalf of 46-year-old CFO Amit Dongre, demanded Rs 6,000 for each building, taking the total demand to Rs 36,000.

The complainant approached the Vadodara ACB after refusing to pay the bribe.

Baldev Desai, Deputy Director of Vadodara ACB, stated that the complainant did not wish to pay any bribe for the Fire NOC, prompting the complaint to the ACB.

Acting on the complaint, the ACB organised a trap under the supervision of its Assistant Director.

Bhavsinh Jhala was caught while allegedly collecting the bribe amount at Yash Complex in Ahmedabad’s Memnagar area.

Officials said he had arrived to receive the Rs 36,000 on the instructions of CFO Amit Dongre. The agency said conversations between Jhala and Dongre helped establish evidence regarding the alleged acceptance of the bribe.

The ACB has initiated legal proceedings against both Amit Dongre and Bhavsinh Jhala in connection with the case.

Investigators have also begun examining Fire NOCs issued or renewed by Dongre during his tenure as CFO of the Ahmedabad Fire Department.

In addition, the agency plans to scrutinise the bank accounts and assets of both accused as part of a wider investigation into possible financial irregularities.

The arrests are expected to lead to further inquiries into the functioning of the fire clearance process in Ahmedabad and whether any other officials were involved in similar practices.

- Ends