By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 3 Jun: Taking strict action in the Haridwar Land scam case, 3 senior officers including the District Magistrate of Haridwar, Karmendra Singh, were suspended today by the state government on the orders of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. So far, 10 officials have been suspended in the case while the services of 2 officials have been terminated.
The move is being claimed by the government and the ruling party, the BJP, as a decisive move against corruption. Among those suspended today include District Magistrate Karmendra Singh, IAS officer Varun Chaudhary, who was the then Municipal Commissioner in Haridwar, and PCS officer Ajayveer Singh, who was SDM at the time of the land scam. With three officers already suspended in the earlier phase and services of two others terminated, the total number of officials facing suspension in this high-profile case has now reached ten.
It may be recalled that the scam had come to light after serious questions were raised regarding the purchase of an unsuitable 2.307 hectare plot, located adjacent to a garbage dump in Gram Sarai, by the Haridwar Municipal Corporation for an amount of Rs 54 crores. Allegations of irregularities in the land acquisition process prompted CM Dhami to order a detailed inquiry into the matter.
Secretary Ranvir Singh Chauhan conducted a preliminary investigation and submitted his findings to the state government on 29 May. Acting swiftly on the report, the CM today directed the Personnel Department to initiate strict action against all officers involved. Accordingly, the Personnel and Vigilance Department issued suspension orders for the seven accused officials this morning.
Those suspended are Karmendra Singh, who is District Magistrate and was then also serving as the administrator of Haridwar Municipal Corporation at the time since the municipal elections had not been held; Varun Chaudhary, the then Municipal Commissioner; Ajayveer Singh, the then Sub-Divisional Magistrate; Nikita Bisht, Senior Finance Officer; Vicky, Senior Personal Assistant; Rajesh Kumar, Registrar Kanungo, Tehsil Haridwar; and Kamal Das, Chief Administrative Officer, Tehsil Haridwar. In the previous round of action, Ravindra Kumar Dayal, then In-charge Assistant Municipal Commissioner, had his services terminated, while Anand Singh Mishra, In-charge Executive Engineer, Lakshmi Kant Bhatt, Tax and Revenue Superintendent, and Dinesh Chandra Kandpal, Junior Engineer, were suspended. Vedpal, the Property Clerk, also had his service extension terminated.
In order to commit the scam, the land adjacent to a garbage dump was identified and then its land use was changed from agriculture to commercial even though it was just adjacent to a landfill and was genuinely valued at approximately Rs 18 crores. But following the change of land use to commercial, the value of the property shot up to Rs 54 crores, the amount that the Nagar Nigam Haridwar paid to acquire it.
Commenting on the latest development, CM Dhami reiterated his government’s ‘zero-tolerance policy’ towards corruption, stating that in public service, duty and accountability are paramount, regardless of the seniority or position of the official. He emphasised that anyone found violating public interest or government rules would face strict action, and that the state government is committed to establishing a corruption-free work culture in Uttarakhand.
Sources also claim that the state government has also sought legal advice to explore the possibility of recovering the financial loss caused by the scam from the guilty officials. The Vigilance Department is expected to file a formal FIR soon, and sources suggest that the Enforcement Directorate may also be roped in if evidence of money laundering emerges during the ongoing probe.
It may be recalled that the Haridwar land scam has sparked widespread public outrage, with several civil society groups demanding a CBI inquiry and stricter monitoring of municipal land deals across Uttarakhand. Dhami has claimed that no one involved, irrespective of rank or influence, will be spared, and the investigation will be taken to its logical conclusion. It however remains to been if the case is actually taken to its logical conclusion and the senior officers involved really get convicted and sentenced or that the officers remain suspended for a period of time and then reinstated on the basis court orders without any conviction as had happened in the National Highway Scam in Uttarakhand in which senior officers then suspended are presently serving on Secretary level posts and the scam is a forgotten episode in Uttarakhand’s history.
It may also be pertinent to remind here that Karmendra Singh has become only the second District Magistrate since the formation of Uttarakhand to be suspended on charges of corruption. The only other DM to be suspended in Uttarakhand was the DM of Pauri, who was suspended by the ND Tiwari Government for his alleged involvement in the Patwari recruitment scam. It would interesting to see if this case is taken to its logical conclusion by the government which claims zero tolerance for corruption.
In addition, it will also be interesting to note who is posted as the next DM of Haridwar after Singh.
In the state, DM of Haridwar is among the most sought after field posting among the eligible IAS officers and all those posted here are usually considered to be close and trusted confidantes of the Chief Minister.
