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Hindustan Times
30-04-2025
- Hindustan Times
Panchkula: Four HSVP staffers booked 12 yrs after file's disapperance
Nearly 12 years after a file related to a plot in Sector 2, Urban Estate, went missing, the Sector 7 police station on Monday registered a case against four employees of the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) after a complaint was filed by the estate officer, HSVP, Sector 6, on April 25. The four HSVP employees, who have been named as accused in the case, are assistants Labh Singh and Jalmed, and record keepers Gurmukh Singh and Randhir. The case has been registered against them under Section 381 (theft by clerk or servant of property in possession of master) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). According to the FIR, the concerned plot file went missing between January 2009 and April 2013. Interestingly, the plot is connected to a corruption case against Colonel BS Goraya (retd), who was found guilty of possessing disproportionate assets by a CBI court in Chandigarh in August 2017. The case against Goraya was initially registered in August 1990 under the Prevention of Corruption Act. As per the CBI case, between January 1, 1987, and August 8, 1990, Goraya, in his own name and also of his family members, had acquired properties valued at ₹82.6 lakh, of which ₹72.7 lakh were disproportionate to his known income. The plot was among the 13 properties listed by the CBI in its investigation. These properties were located in prime areas across Chandigarh, Panchkula, Mohali, Gurugram, Delhi, and Noida, and included commercial plots, houses, and land. The court's ruling was under Sections 13(2) and 13(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Lack of police action According to the complaint, the CBI had issued summons to the custodians of the concerned plot file at the HSVP office on April 3, 2013. However, a search for the relevant case file revealed that it was missing. Subsequently, on April 18, 2013, the then estate officer, HSVP, Panchkula, sent a letter to the then SHO of the Sector 5 police station, requesting the registration of an FIR against the employees responsible for keeping and maintaining the file. However, no FIR was filed at that time. The current complaint emphasises this delay in the registration of the FIR. Petitioner seeking alternative plot A related case involving the plot is also pending in the high court in which HSVP is a respondent. As per case details, a petitioner claims that she had purchased the plot a few years ago with the approval of the concerned authority, and a no objection certificate (NOC) was also issued. She had also obtained a loan for the purchase. However, when the construction began, she discovered that the property was disputed, leading her to take legal action against HSVP. As per information, the petitioner, who had filed the case against the HSVP in 2022, is seeking an alternative plot. The matter is scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday, and the HSVP has already been notified about the same.
Hindustan Times
27-04-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor project: Farmers fume as cheques for land compensation bounce
Patiala Farmers are agitated in Patiala after compensation cheques issued by the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) for land acquired under the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC) project bounced multiple times. The AKIC is a major development initiative, with a significant portion of it passing through Punjab. Specifically, an integrated manufacturing cluster (IMC) is being developed in Rajpura-Patiala, as part of the AKIC. This IMC aims to attract investment and create jobs in sectors like e-mobility, food processing, and more. The cheques, issued in March as a payment for nearly 61 acres of land acquired across five villages, have now bounced three times, leaving the affected farmers angry and financially distressed. Despite PUDA having already taken possession of the land, compensation remains elusive. Randhir Singh, a farmer from Pabra village, voiced his frustration: 'The cheque given to me by PUDA has bounced three times. I even tried to deposit it again yesterday — it was rejected once more. This is nothing short of harassment. First, they took our land, and now they refuse to pay us.' He added that his attempts to contact officials have been ignored. Labh Singh, another aggrieved farmer, echoed the similar sentiment: 'My cheque bounced too. The government has our land. What are we supposed to do now? Where do we go?' Farmer leader Gurdhiyan Singh from BKU (Ekta Bhateri Kalan) condemned the situation, calling it 'outright harassment'. 'We will meet the Patiala deputy commissioner. The government must act quickly to disburse the compensation and take strict action against those responsible,' he said. When contacted, PUDA land acquisition collector Sanjeev Kumar attributed the issue to a 'technical glitch at the bank's end'. 'There is no shortage of funds. The issue is being looked into and will be resolved soon,' he said.
