Vigilance arrests Naib Tehsildar for conniving in selling land to govt at high cost causing a loss of about Rs 4.8 crore to state exchequer

Chandigarh August 10, 2022: Punjab Vigilance Bureau has arrested Naib Tehsildar Raghbir Singh posted at Sri Anandpur Sahib who had registered land measuring about 54 acres of village Karura, Rupnagar district in connivance with some private individuals which was sold to the state government at a price higher than the prevalent collector rate causing a huge loss of about Rs 4.8 crore to the state exchequer.

            Disclosing this here today, the spokesperson of Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) said in this regard in case number 69 dated 28-06-2022 had already been registered against the above mentioned Naib Tehsildar and other persons at police station Nurpurbedi, Rupnagar district under section 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 of IPC and under section 7, 7A, 8, 13 of Prevention of Corruption Act which was being probed by the Bureau.

            Giving further details, he said the 54 acres of land under investigation was of hills, drain, gorge, dune etc. at village Karura, Sri Anandpur Sahib and it was in the name of the habitants of villagers Karura. The Punjab State Forest Corporation SAS Nagar has proposed to buy this land for tree plantations, he added.

            In this regard, a committee was formed to inspect this land in which Amit Chauhan Forest Range Officer Rupnagar, Jugraj Singh Regional Manager Mohali, Amarjit Singh Halka Patwari, as representative SDM office Sri Anandpur Sahib, Jaspal Singh Range Officer Block Noorpurbedi, Narinder Singh and Rajesh Kumar (both Forest Guards), Rampal Singh Sarpanch Village Karura and Yugesh Kumar were included as members.

            The spokesman further informed that two private individuals Daljit Singh Bhinder and Amarinder Singh Bhinder had colluded with the revenue officials and sold the 54 acres land to the Punjab Forest Corporation at Rs 9,90,000 per acre whereas its collector rate was only Rs 90,000 per acre thereby caused a huge loss of about Rs 4.8 crore to the state exchequer.

            During the investigation, it has come to light that the land sold to the corporation is only about 46 acres instead of 54 acres mentioned in the registry. It was also found from the documents that Raghbir Singh Naib Tehsildar went outside his jurisdiction to Nurpurbedi tehsil for registry of this land and registered the vasika on 01-09-2020.

            He informed that after the preliminary investigation, the VB has arrested the accused Raghbir Singh and efforts to arrest other accused are under progress.