PANEL INDICTS MINISTER SODHI’S KIN OVER DOUBLE RELIEF

Recommends legal remedy to annul reacquisition of land in Mohanki Attar village of Ferozepur district; underlines need for probe to find out willful connivance of PWD, revenue officials

JALANDHAR: A sub-committee constituted by Punjab government indicted the cabinet minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi’s family for pocketing double compensation against a piece of land acquired by the state government for a road project. The family received ₹1.83 crore compensation in 2014 for the land after re-acquisition in 2012, which, as per records, was also acquired in 1962 and a sum of ₹7,384 paid. The said land is at Mohanki Attar village in Ferozepur.

JALANDHAR: A sub-committee constituted by Punjab government indicted the cabinet minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi’s family for pocketing double compensation against a piece of land acquired by the state government for a road project. The family received ₹1.83 crore compensation in 2014 for the land after re-acquisition in 2012, which, as per records, was also acquired in 1962 and a sum of ₹7,384 paid. The said land at Mohanki Attar village had been acquired for the Ferozepur-Fazilka-Gurharsahai road.

The land — 55 kanal and 6 marla of Rana Sodhi and 38 kanal of his nephew Jasdeep Sodhi (son of Hardeep Singh) — was re-acquired by the Punjab government and compensation was paid after the owners approached the court.

The panel has recommended probe into the role of public works department (PWD) and revenue department officials to

fix responsibility as the “whole matter smells of willful connivance with the beneficiaries”.

“The land at Mohanki Attar was acquired twice, in 1962 and then in 2011-12, as the record were not updated,” says the report.

As per the report, Hardeep Singh had given four representations to government as Special Power of Attorney (of his brother Rana Sodhi and three sons) in the

year 2008 that the land on which road had been constructed was neither acquired nor compensation paid to them.

The committee found that Hardeep Singh was in the know that the land was acquired in 1962 and he himself had admitted in his two letters to the public works department in 1963 that they had received the compensation. “…then how could he give a representations...this means that he held back the facts while giving representations,” points out the report.

The report puts a questionmark on the role PWD and revenue officials. “Intentional negligence reflects on every aspect and the case has been grossly mishandled since beginning,” it says.

“As far as beneficiaries are concerned, it has been established that at least Hardeep Singh was in the knowledge of all the facts regarding acquisition of land in 1962 since he himself had handled that acquisition process on behalf of the family,” the report says.

“Therefore, legal remedy should be sought from the court of competent jurisdiction to annul the subsequent acquisition proceedings,” concludes the report.

In March this year, Punjab government formed a five-member sub-committee comprising special secretary, PWD; director consolidation-cum-director land records; land acquisition officer PWD (B&R), Jalandhar; district revenue officer, Ferozepur, and executive engineer, construction Division-1, PWD (B&R), Ferozepur, to examine the records.

When reached over the phone, Hardeep Singh said, “We have neither any information about any sub-committee formed by the government nor aware of its findings. We were not even called by the committee. If they have facts then they should produce in the court as it is legal matter now.” He categorically denied having received any compensation from the state in 1962.

Cabinet minister Rana Sodhi didn’t respond to the calls and messages. Principal secretary, PWD, Vikas Pratap, too was incommunicado.

MINISTER’S BROTHER CATEGORICALLY DENIED HAVING RECEIVED ANY COMPENSATION FROM THE STATE IN 1962