Chandigarh, May 27: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau today registered a case against 2 Sarpanches, 8 Panches, 2 Panchayat Secretaries, One JE, 10 firms and 4 private persons for misappropriation of panchayats funds received in lieu of acquisition of Gram Panchayat lands pertaining to five villages namely village Akari, Sehra, Sehri, Takhtumajra and Village Pabra, in Tehsil Rajpura, District Patiala under the Amritsar-Kolkata Integrated Corridor Project.

In this connection, after a thorough probe the Vigilance Bureau (VB) have registered a case under section 406, 420, 409, 465, 467, 468, 471, 120B, of IPC and Sections 13 (1) A and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused for the misappropriation of compensation amount received for the purchase of total 1103 acres, 3 kanals, and 15 marla land of above mentioned 5 Villages.

Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of VB said that a case has been registered against 10 firms and 4 private persons for supplying materials and labor under the name of development works in villages Akari and Sehri. In this regard accused two Sarpanches and 8 Panches of both the villages have also been booked under this case.

Giving more details the spokesperson revealed that Harjit Kaur, Sarpanch of village Akari, Charanjit Kaur, Panch, Avtar Singh Panch, Sukhwinder Singh Panch, Darshan Singh Panch, Kulwinder Kaur Panch, Jaswinder Singh Panchayat Secretary posted in BDPO Office Shambhu, besides Manjit Singh Sarpanch of Village Sehri, Jatinder Rani Panch, Lakhveer Singh Panch, Pawandeep Kaur Panch, Lakhminder Singh Panchayat Secretary and Dharminder Kumar Assistant Engineer posted in the BDPO office Sambhu have been booked as accused for misappropriation in panchayats funds.

Apart from this, private firm owner Dinesh Kumar Bansal Contractor of Bassi Pathana, District Fatehgarh Sahib, Gill Trading Company of Patiala, Falcon Enterprises Mohali, Innovation Solutions Patiala, Bhole Nath Buildings Village Upal  Herri, Rajpura, Varun Singla Contractor & Supplier, Bassi Pathana, District Fatehgarh Sahib, RB Building Materials Patiala, SSDN Building Materials Patiala, Bimal Constructions, Sarai Banjara, District Patiala,  Chopra Public House including four private persons Kuldeep Singh resident of Rajpura, Inderjit Gir from Rajpura, Jugnu Kumar Rajpura, District Patiala were also found to be involved in this case.

Giving more details about the scam committed in the name of accomplishing development works in these villages, he informed that PUDA had acquired total 1103 acres, 3 kanals, 15 marlas of panchayats land in the above five villages in order to construct the Amritsar-Kolkata Integrated Corridor Project. In this connection, compensation amount to the tune of Rs.2,85,15,84,554 have been paid to the Panchayat of village Akari, Sehari, Sehara, Taktumajara and Pabbra on account of acquired land. Apart from this, the cultivators of this land were given a total displacement allowance of Rs.97,80,69,375 at the rate of Rs.9 lakh per acre.

The spokesperson added that the villagers had complained to the VB about the development works which were not done properly by the panchayats with the amount of Rs. 285,15,84,554 and other grants received from 2019 to 2022. During the probe, it has came to light that the above mentioned accused persons embezzled in the funds in connivance with panchayat department officials.

Sharing more details, he said that checking have been carried out by the technical team of VB which reveals that several development works had not been done at all. The Panchayat of Akari and Sehari village released several amounts without undertaking any development work and embezzled funds to the tune of rupees 6,66,47,036. In this regard a case has been registered against above mentioned accused on the basis of the investigation report and further investigation was under process pertaining to other village panchayats also.