As it tries to fix the blame for “vandalising” the house vacated by former Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) P S Gill, the engineering department of the Chandigarh Administration now claims that it is yet to give a no-objection certificate (NoC) to him.

Contradicting Gill’s claim that an NoC was given to him by the department when he handed over the property — house number 500 in Sector 16 — on November 1, the engineering department now says that since the DGP was asked by the administration to vacate the premises he was occupying even after his retirement, no formal handing over took place.

“An NoC is given only when an occupant vacates the property on his own. Since the former DGP left on orders of the estate department, there was no formal handing over, nor was an NoC given,” XEN B S Ojha told The Indian Express.

Though Ojha said the Punjab Police Housing Corporation had verbally assured to make good any damage they might have caused while removing their fittings and installations, he said the three-member committee formed by Chief Engineer S K Chadha to probe the matter would formally summon the corporation officials before it to explain the damage.

“If they wanted to take their fittings and installations, there is a proper way to do it. The department could have been informed. If the probe finds they trespassed on the property after vacating it, we will take action and file an FIR. They will then have to make good the damage. If it is found that there was also negligence on our part, we will repair the house,” Ojha added.

The probe so far has found that the department’s electrical wing took away some electrical fittings while the Punjab Police Housing Corporation claims it just took away gadgets and fittings installed by it and listed in its stock register. But both are non-committal about who reduced the concrete camp office and security rooms to rubble, damaged the boundary wall, “extracted” stone slabs and plants from the lawns and broke windows of bedrooms and kitchen and damaged bathroom fittings.

While locks of many doors were missing, Ojha said the keys found near the open back door were of rooms inside.