CAG finds ₹31 cr paid in excess for land, Punjab govt says followed law

The audit is for 2018-19 and is yet to be tabled in the Vidhan Sabha

JALANDHAR: Principal accountant general (audit), Punjab, has raised the issue of excess payment of Rs 31 crore to beneficiaries in two land acquisition awards passed in Bathinda. The report says incorrect multiplication factor (MF) was used. The audit is for 2018-19 and is yet to be tabled in the Vidhan Sabha. The land was acquired in 2017 for Bathinda-Faridkot and Patiala-Bathinda stretches.

MF means the number by which the market value of a rural property is to be multiplied in case the government wishes to acquire it for any development project under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

The confidential internal communication between Punjab revenue department and the accountant general (audit) office, Punjab, that HT has seen, started in April 2019. The letter from the audit said the Competent Authority Land Acquisition (CALA)-cum-SDM acquired 27 acre by adopting a multiplication factor of 2 for rural land, instead of 1.25 as decided by the Punjab government in 2014. “The AG office also pointed this out in August 2018, but the department did not reply,” the paragraph in the audit report says.

In August 2015 and early half of 2016, the ministry of roads, transport and highways (MORTH) clarified that the multiplication factor (MF) by which market value is to be multiplied for land acquisition in rural areas shall be 2 or as specified by the state government under the RFCTLARR 2013, whichever is lower.

With the issue headed for a stalemate, Bathinda deputy commissioner of the time prepared a report claiming that the MORTH had given another order in March 2016, superseding its own letter of August 2015.

“The inference made by principal AG (audit) regarding excess payment is incorrect and the objections of the audit team may be settled as the awards have been passed as per the extant law and no excess payment has been made,” the Bathinda DC report concluded.

Principal AG (audit), Punjab, Punam Pandey, didn’t respond to calls or messages. An email on November 26, seeking a response did not receive any reply. Deputy accountant general Ravinder Singh refused comment.

Sakshi Sawhney, the then SDM Bathinda, said the awards were rightly passed as per the notification and guidelines of the Union ministry of rural development and the Centre in 2016, which say multiplication factor should be two in rural areas.

SAKSHI SAWHNEY, THE THEN SDM, SAID AWARDS WERE RIGHTLY PASSED AS PER RURAL DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY NORMS