Three suspended for land allotment scam
TNN & Agencies | Feb 8, 2019, 06:27 IST
Representative imageGANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat government on Thursday suspended three officials, including the general manager of a state-run entity, for alleged irregularities in allotment of 800 acres of government land at Bamanbor and Jivapar in Chotila taluka of Surendranagar district, under Agricultural Land Ceiling (ALC) Act, to private persons.
The government ordered suspension of Chandrakant Pandya, general manager of Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (GSCSCL), V Z Chauhan, deputy district development officer of Porbandar, and J L Gadhvi, former in-charge mamlatdar (revenue officer) of Chotila taluka in Surendranagar, with immediate effect, a press release said.
While Pandya had earlier served as the resident additional collector of Surendranagar, Chauhan was the deputy collector, it added.
The state revenue department had carried out a probe in which the trio was found guilty of irregularities in allotment of around 800 acres of land to private persons at Bamanbor and Jivapar villages in Chotila taluka in Surendranagar district some years ago.
The land in question was forfeited by the government in the past under the Agricultural Land Ceiling Act, the release said.
Although the Supreme Court, while hearing petitions regarding the ownership of a piece of land measuring around 300 acres in Chotila taluka, gave its verdict in the government’s favour, the trio approved the transfer of land.
It is alleged that these officials intentionally misinterpreted the apex court order to approve the transfer of land, which was then sold by the private persons even before the state government gave its nod to the transfer order passed by these officials, the release said.
It has been found that the mamlatdar and krishi panch had shown government land as surplus agricultural land by misinterpretation of the amendment in the Act: 2/1974 of the ALC Act 1960 to private persons on November 11, 1988.
After the irregularities came to light, the state government not only suspended them, but also ordered a departmental inquiry against the trio, the release said.
The government has directed the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to conduct a probe against these officials, it added.
The government ordered suspension of Chandrakant Pandya, general manager of Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (GSCSCL), V Z Chauhan, deputy district development officer of Porbandar, and J L Gadhvi, former in-charge mamlatdar (revenue officer) of Chotila taluka in Surendranagar, with immediate effect, a press release said.
While Pandya had earlier served as the resident additional collector of Surendranagar, Chauhan was the deputy collector, it added.
The state revenue department had carried out a probe in which the trio was found guilty of irregularities in allotment of around 800 acres of land to private persons at Bamanbor and Jivapar villages in Chotila taluka in Surendranagar district some years ago.
The land in question was forfeited by the government in the past under the Agricultural Land Ceiling Act, the release said.
Although the Supreme Court, while hearing petitions regarding the ownership of a piece of land measuring around 300 acres in Chotila taluka, gave its verdict in the government’s favour, the trio approved the transfer of land.
It is alleged that these officials intentionally misinterpreted the apex court order to approve the transfer of land, which was then sold by the private persons even before the state government gave its nod to the transfer order passed by these officials, the release said.
It has been found that the mamlatdar and krishi panch had shown government land as surplus agricultural land by misinterpretation of the amendment in the Act: 2/1974 of the ALC Act 1960 to private persons on November 11, 1988.
After the irregularities came to light, the state government not only suspended them, but also ordered a departmental inquiry against the trio, the release said.
The government has directed the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to conduct a probe against these officials, it added.
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