Key Points

“The frauds associated with the Bharatmala Project occurred during the previous Congress administration. Our stance against corruption has led to decisive actions, with ACB-EOW conducting operations at various official premises,” Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Arun Sao, said.

The raids focused on the residences and offices of officials, including Sub-Divisional Magistrates, Tehsildars, Patwaris, and Revenue Inspectors.

Teams from ACB-EOW initiated searches in Raipur, Naya Raipur, Abhanpur, and Durg-Bhilai, uncovering evidence of misconduct.

Over 20 locations tied to the Revenue Department were scrutinised, revealing a network of corruption and fraudulent practices.

On March 5, the state government had suspended Shashikant Kurre, deputy collector of Korba, alleging that he had divided land accounts and then subdivided them into plots, thereby raising the compensation amount. It caused direct loss to the state government.

Previously, Dr Charandas Mahant, Leader of Opposition, had addressed a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), highlighting a compensation scam within the Bharatmala Project. The PMO acknowledged the complaint, and Dr Mahant confirmed receipt of a response, expressing hope for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry. The investigation revealed a fraudulent scheme amounting to Rs 43 crore in the land acquisition process.

By fragmenting land parcels and falsifying records, payments totalling Rs 78 crore were misrepresented to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

A syndicate comprising SDMs, Patwaris, and land mafias designed this deception through backdated documentation. Among the accused are five officials, including Nirbhay Kumar Sahu, implicated in embezzling over Rs 43.18 crore. In Nayakbandha and Urla villages of Abhanpur, land mafias, in collusion with revenue officials, subdivided land into 159 plots, inflating its valuation from Rs 29.5 crore to Rs 78 crore. Compensation for a 9.38-kilometre stretch in the Abhanpur belt was initially set at Rs 324 crore, of which Rs 246 crore has been disbursed, while Rs 78 crore remains withheld.

During the winter session of the state Assembly, Dr Mahant raised concerns over the Bharatmala Project, demanding a CBI inquiry. Revenue Minister Tank Ram Verma acknowledged the irregularities, revealing that the Raipur Collector’s investigation, initiated in August 2022, confirmed fraudulent practices. The findings implicated officials in fabricating ownership transfers and inflating compensation claims.

Consequently, the government suspended several officials, including Naib Tehsildar Gobara Navapara Lakheshwa Prasad Kiran and Patwaris Jitendra Prasad Sahu, Dinesh Patel, and Lekhram Devangan.

On April 3, Jyotsna Charandas Mahant member of Lok Sabha from Korba, raised a similar issue in Lok Sabha and demanded a CBI probe in the case.

Despite these revelations, the government refrained from acceding to the Opposition’s demand for a CBI probe, prompting Congress legislators to stage a walkout.

The matter remains a focal point of contention, underscoring the need for transparency and accountability in public administration.

Bharatmala Pariyojna (India’s garland project) is a Government of India project. It was slated to interconnect 550 District Headquarters (from the current 300) through a minimum 4-lane highway by raising the number of corridors to 50 (from the current six) and move 80 per cent of freight traffic (40 per cent currently) to National Highways by interconnecting 24 logistics parks, 66 inter-corridors (IC) of total 8,000 km, 116 feeder routes of total 7,500 km.

- IANS