RTI activist slams govt for not including Jalandhar in inquiry

‘JALANDHAR OFFICIALS ALSO ERRED IN DECLARING AWARDS FOR LAND ACQUIRED FOR NH-70 4-LANING’

Hoshiarpur: Right to Information (RTI) activist Rajiv Vashisht, who had unearthed the land acquisition scam worth crores here, has slammed the government for ordering a vigilance inquiry into the irregularities in the acquisition of land falling in Hoshiarpur district alone, whereas, he alleged that authorities of Jalandhar too had erred in declaring awards for the land acquired for the four-laning of National Highway-70.

As much as 33.8 km of the national highway falls in Hoshiarpur district and 14 km in Jalandhar district. An amount of `286.36 crore was sought to settle claims of landowners of Hoshiarpur and `179.63 crore for awards in Jalandhar for acquisition of 102.92 acres and 39.55 acre land respectively. It was alleged that even after acquisition notifications, sale-purchase of land continued.

Vashisht said he had submitted relevant documents to the vigilance bureau to show how land acquisition officers of Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar had inflated claims for the acquired land, but the bureau has initiated investigation only in case of Hoshiarpur.