Four suspended for land purchase scam in Mohali village
JHIURHERI PANCHAYAT PURCHASED 36 ACRES FOR ~23 CR AT A RATE OF ~55 LAKH PER ACRE AS AGAINST COLLECTOR RATE OF ~10 LAKH
PATIALA : Rural development and panchayat minister Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa has suspended four officials in connection with the land scam involving officials and panchayat of Jhiurheri village of Mohali.
The then district development and panchayat officer (DDPO) Gurvinder Singh Sarao, block development and panchayat officera (BDPOs) Malwinder Singh and Jatinderpal Singh Dhillon, and village development official (VDO) Ravinder Singh have been suspended with immediate effect.
Meanwhile, the state vigilance bureau has been asked to register an FIR in this connection.
Bajwa has acted upon the recommendation of Anurag Verma, secretary, rural development, who in a probe report had held these officials guilty in the purchase of land at exorbitant prices.
HT had published a report in this regard on August 31, highlighting how Jhiurheri panchayat purchased 36-acre agricultural land by spending a whopping sum of Rs 23.76 crore at a rate of Rs 55 lakh per acre against the prevailing collector rate of Rs 9.77 lakh.
Even the market rate of the land in question was between Rs 15 lakh to Rs 17 lakh per acre.
Besides, the Jhiurheri panchayat had also purchased 6,700 sq yard commercial land at Sanauli village in Zirakpur for Rs 10.11 crore, much above the market rate.
Notably, the scam was unearthed in the wake of an inquiry into the utilisation of Rs 54 crore received by the Jhiurheri panchyat for acquisition of land for Mohali airport.
Officials of the rural development and panchayats department were indicted for siphoning off funds, received for acquisition of land for the airport.
The inquiry was initiated after MLA Balbir Singh had raised a question in the Vidhan Sabha in this regard.
After the initial inquiry, Anurag Verma had recommended a vigilance probe in the matter, apart from initiating departmental action against the erring officers.
One of the suspended officials, block development and panchayat officer Malwinder, was earlier booked in a MNREGA scam in Patiala, exposed by HT.