Chandigarh, Aug. 12 -- The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has given a clean chit to three retired IAS officers, including former chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal, in the multi-crore irrigation scam after a detailed inquiry failed to find concrete evidence substantiating allegations against them.

The scam involves fraudulent allotment of state water projects worth over Rs.1,000-1,200 crore during the SAD-BJP regime (2007-2017). Tenders were allegedly tailor-made to favour a primary contractor, Gurinder Singh, in connivance with top department officials and politicians, causing massive losses to the state exchequer.

Apart from Kaushal, names of former special chief secretary KBS Sidhu and former irrigation secretary Kahan Singh Pannu have al...