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Encroachment on public land: Bathinda admn recommends FIR against four persons
DC Parray has ordered a probe into the role of two revenue officials; confirming this on Sunday, Parray said the land on the city’s periphery is worth crores of rupees and the accused, Dr Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and others, connived with the officials and a property dealer, Ashok Kumar, to grab it
The district administration has recommended registration of a first information report (FIR) against four persons, including a city-based radiologist, for encroaching on 12,000 yards of public land worth crores of rupees.
Officials said based on internal investigation into encroachment on land belonging to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), deputy commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray passed an order to the police to probe the role of two revenue officials on January 25.
Confirming this on Sunday, Parray said the land on the city’s periphery is worth crores of rupees and the accused, Dr Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and others, connived with the officials and a property dealer, Ashok Kumar, to grab it. Police have been asked to probe further the role of more officials and private individuals in the scam.
Shekhawat was not available for comments and his personal staff at the hospital said the doctor would be informed about the media query on the issue.
The area in question is located near the defunct Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant on the Bathinda-Malout road, the prime location which is being developed by private and public sectors.
Land grabbed in connivance with officials, hints probe
The authorities said a probe by the administration hints that land worth ₹100 crore may have been grabbed by influential persons in connivance with the officials.
Officials said additional deputy commissioner (general) Poonam Singh had supervised the probe, in which the buyer and seller were asked to share land ownership documents. The probe, initiated last year, was based on a complaint of land grabbing against the doctor and others.
Role of tehsildar, kanungo under scanner: DC
“After an initial probe, the scope of the investigation into encroachment was widened. Notices have been served to about 80 other persons in more suspected incidents of land grabbing on PSPCL’s land in the same area. The role of a tehsildar and a kanungo is under scanner in the scam. The police administration has been directed to probe the role of the local body authorities who issued a registration number to a construction on the encroached land without verifying the land details,” added the DC.
Parray said Shekhawat bought land in 2022 from two brothers — Gurwinder Singh and Sukhwinder Singh. “The land was sold using an unregistered Will without any land revenue records. In the entire process, the alleged role of tehsildar Lakhwinder Singh also came to light. Also, the MC officials allegedly issued numbers to grab land in violation of rules,” he said.
Officials said in 2020, PSPCL authorities had written to the revenue authorities to demark its land but an official misled the power authorities.
“Police have been asked to probe the role of the kanungo who submitted a false report on PSPCL’s land ownership. The police have also been directed to probe if more people were involved in land grabbing and they should proceed against the erring officials under the Prevention of Corruption Act,” read the official order.
