Six revenue officials booked for illegal registries of EWS flats

Gurugram police on Wednesday booked 12 people, including six officials from the revenue department, for allegedly violating norms and corruption in selling flats meant for the economically weaker sections (EWS) category.

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The latest case comes in the wake of intense scrutiny on the district revenue department where earlier six other officials were booked for allegedly violating norms with regard to sale of small agricultural land.

According to officials, between 2013 and 2017, allottees of certain EWS flats sold it in connivance with the revenue department officials. Haryana government rules require all private real estate developers to build flats under EWS category that cannot be sold and transferred for a period of five years after allotment. The allottee should be people domiciled in Haryana.

The case names three EWS allottees --- Hemant Kumar, Kamlesh and Neeraj Kumar, all residents of Gurugram--- three buyers --- Girish Kumar, resident of sector 46, Bela Singh from Maharashtra, and Manisha from Delhi--- and the six revenue officials --- Om Prakash, Rupender Singh, Om Prakash Yadav, Inderjeet Singh, Ram Chander and Jagdish Bishnoi. Police said Girish Kumar was involved multiple illegal registeries.

The police said that a case has been registered on the complaint of CM Flying Squad, a branch of the criminal investigation department (CID) at sector 29 police station against the suspects under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Prevention of Corruption Act.

Investigating officer Sub-Inspector (S-I) Suresh Chander said that they had received the complaint in January 2019. The complaint alleged that the these properties were transferred to ineligible persons in violation of lock-in period of five years.

“We initially began investigation of three registries and during course of investigation sought details of property registration by EWS plots developed by four developers. A large number of violations were found in registries of EWS plots from 2013 to 2107 after which a case was registered against three original allottees, three buyers and six officials of revenue department who served in Wazirabad and Gurugram tehsils, where these sales and registries were carried out,” said Chander.

The FIR registered by police said that the CM Flying Squad had obtained information from the officer of district town and country planning (DTCP) regarding the construction and allotment of EWS plots.

Officials in the CM Flying Squad said that they had sought details from four developers regarding EWS category flats and the probe revealed that around 75 per cent of these flats were sold within a year. It further said that registries were carried out in violation of rules and below circle rates, which led to loss of revenue and were carried out for pecuniary considerations.

Ramesh Kumar, a city based RTI activist, said that he had filed two complaints with the district administration with regard to illegal registeries of EWS flats but no action was taken. “We hope that this criminal complaint would result in curbing such malpractices,” said Kumar.

Subash Boken, spokesperson, Gurugram police said, “A case has been registered in this matter in sector 29 police station on the complaint of CM Flying Squad and the probe is underway.”

On Saturday, six revenue department officials, including a tehsildar was booked under section 420 (cheating) of the IPC and under the Haryana development of urban areas and management act ,1975.