Govt Effects Major Revamp In Cbec

Close on the heels of the arrest of the Delhi zone chief commissioner of excise on charges of graft, the government has undertaken a major revamp in the Central Board of Excise and Customs.

According to finance ministry sources, the government has replaced S P Shrivastava, chief commissioner of customs in Delhi, with A K Singh who was the chief commissioner in Lucknow.

Singh will also hold additional charge for excise in the Delhi zone. Shrivastava has been shifted to Lucknow as the chief commissioner.

The changes, which were effected on Tuesday, also saw S K Bharadwaj, chief commissioner of customs and excise in Jaipur, being shifted to Mumbai. S K Malhi, director general of inspection, has been given additional charge of Jaipur now.

Virendra Singh, director general of Central Excise Intelligence (CEI) in Delhi, has been moved as director general of National Academy of Central Excise and Narcotics (Nacen), Faridabad. Dalbir Singh, director general at Nacen has been shifted to Delhi as director general, CEI, sources said.

Meanwhile, the CBI has arrested one more employee of Ashok Chaturvedi, the Noida-based industrialist and managing director of Flex Industries for allegedly offering bribe to Someshwar Mishra, chief commissioner of excise, Delhi zone, who is now under deemed suspension.

Sleuths of the anti-corruption branch of the CBI summoned Deepak Banyal to the agency headquarters where, after several hours of questioning, he was placed under arrest late last night, CBI sources said here.

Banyal was produced before a designated court today, which remanded him to CBI custody till November 17. His name had figured during the interrogation of Mishra and Chaturvedi.