Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 3 Jul: In a decisive move against land fraud, District Magistrate Savin Bansal has detected serious irregularities within the Infrastructure Rehabilitation Section in Rishikesh following a complaint raised during ‘Janata Darshan’. The complaint filed by Pulma Devi of Shastrinagar, Tapovan, involves the fraudulent double sale of land originally allotted to a Tehri Dam evacuee.
It may be recalled that Pulma Devi had legally purchased residential land in Phulsani in 2007 through a valid registry. However, in a startling development, the original allottee allegedly resold the same parcel of land to another party in 2020. The DM took cognisance of the matter after it was flagged during the second ‘Janata Darshan’ held in June and initiated a formal inquiry.
The investigation revealed that a civil dispute involving Pulma Devi and Jatin Goyal, son of Rajrani, is currently pending before the Civil Judge (Junior Division) in Vikasnagar, Dehradun. According to the official records, the Executive Engineer of the Research and Planning Section in Rishikesh had allotted a 200-square metre residential plot (Plot No. 44, Khasra No. 399) in Phulsani to Chandru, son of Amru, under the Rural Rehabilitation scheme in March 2007. Possession was granted in April of the same year.
However, in 2019, Chandru managed to have the land re-entered in his name without any inquiry, despite having sold it years earlier. The Senior Manager (Rehabilitation) of the Tehri Dam Project in Kedarpur, Dehradun, in a formal communication, confirmed that Chandru, a resident of Bandrakoti village, had misled the department and reapplied for landholding on the same plot by withholding key facts. The Sub-Revenue Officer of the Infrastructure (Rehabilitation) Section in Rishikesh then forwarded the case to Vikasnagar Tehsil, resulting in the unauthorised re-registration of land in Chandru’s name in 2019.
Reacting strongly to these findings, the DM today ordered the immediate seizure of the vehicle of the Superintending Engineer of the Tehri Dam Rehabilitation and summoned him to present all relevant documents. The DM also issued a stern warning that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe would be recommended against those found responsible. Further criminal proceedings have been handed over to Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM)(Headquarters) Apoorva for deeper investigation.
The DM has reiterated that the district administration remains committed to ensuring justice for Pulma Devi and will pursue the matter relentlessly. The case, which reveals a deeply entrenched misuse of authority within the rehabilitation framework, has sent shockwaves through administrative ranks. How a land allottee could reclaim rights over a property already sold by him and have it re-recorded without scrutiny, exposes the systemic failures in the handling of evacuee land allotments.
