ADC among 3 held for Rs 8-cr ‘bungling’

Tribune News Service

Mohali, February 20

The Vigilance Bureau today arrested former District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO), Mohali, Gurvinder Singh Sarao, currently posted as Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) in Mansa, BDPO Malvinder Singh and panchayat officer Ravinder Singh for alleged embezzlement of funds pertaining to the acquisition of Jheurheri village land for the international airport.

VB Chief Director-cum-ADGP BK Uppal said teams had nabbed Sarao from Zirakpur, Malvinder from Phase 9 here and Ravinder from Tangori village. “The trio was present at their respective residences at the time of the arrest,” he said.

According to the VB, the accused had misappropriated about Rs 8 crore in the purchase of agricultural and commercial land at a cost of Rs 23.62 crore for Jheurheri gram panchayat.

He said 36 acres of shamlat deh of the gram panchayat were acquired for the construction of the airport, for which compensation of Rs 1.5 crore per acre was awarded. The government had released Rs 54.17 crore to the panchayat, but the funds were placed at the disposal of the Director, Rural Development and Panchayats.

Uppal said the investigation into the land purchase scam in Fatehgarh Sahib and Mohali districts had revealed bungling of crores of rupees by the accused officers and other persons.

He added that the Panchayats Department had also found irregularities in the purchase of land in two villages of Fatehgarh Sahib and Mohali and established connivance of department officers and others.

“The land was shown to have been purchased at far higher than the market rate at far-off places, without taking prior sanction from the competent authority as required under the rules. Crores of rupees were embezzled by the sarpanch (Gurpal Singh), department officers and private persons,” said Uppal.

“Then DDPO Sarao allowed the sarpanch to purchase land, even though he is not competent to do so,” the VB Chief Director added.

He added that the sarpanch, in connivance with the officers and others, had purchased more than 25 acres of agricultural land at Karimpura and Kandipura in Fatehgarh Sahib district by spending Rs 13.62 crore at the rate of Rs 54 lakh per acre against the prevailing collector rate of Rs 9.77 lakh.

The VB has registered a case under Sections 409, 420, 465, 467, 471 and 120-B of the IPC and Sections 13(1)(d) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Sarao, Malvinder, Ravinder, Gurpal Singh, Surinder Singh, Mohammad Sohel, Darshan Singh, Swarn Singh and Darshan Singh.

The Mohali court has remanded the accused in two-day police custody.