SNE NETWORK.CHANDIGARH.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified the investigation in Punjab’s Rs 137 crore Guava Bagh scam case. ED Jalandhar’s Assistant Director (AD) Vikas Khatri has written a letter to the Punjab government and sought the records of all the accused officers who came to light in the vigilance investigation in the Guava Bagh scam and the farmers to whom GMADA had issued compensation.
Summons issued to 66 people
AD Khatri has issued summons to 66 people. ED has asked to provide the photos, bank account details, Aadhaar card, PAN card and passport details of these accused officers. If the officers engaged in investigating the case are to be believed, the next step of ED will be to seize the bank accounts of these accused and farmers and link them with the passport authority, so that any accused officer associated with the Guava Bagh scam and the people to whom compensation has been issued cannot flee abroad.
Raids were conducted at 22 places
On March 27, ED raided 22 places in Punjab including the residence of Excise Commissioner Varun Roojam and DC Dhiman of Ferozepur in this scam case. Raids were conducted in Mohali, Patiala, Barnala, Ferozepur, Bathinda and Chandigarh.
So far 22 people have been arrested
Punjab Vigilance is already investigating this case and so far 22 people have been arrested. Apart from these officers, ED also raided the houses of many property dealers, builders, businessmen and then officers of GMADA in the state. While searching the house of Excise and Taxation Commissioner Varun Roojam, ED recovered some torn and thrown documents in a garden outside his house. In this connection, ED has now summoned and asked for the record of the accused officers and those who received compensation.
Guava trees planted on the land are priced differently
This scam is related to the acquisition of land for the Aerotropolis project of Greater Mohali Development Authority (GMADA). GMADA declared the rate for the project as per the land pooling policy. The price of guava trees planted on the land was given as separate compensation. The price of all the fruit trees on the land was determined by the Horticulture Department. Their age was shown to be 4 to 5 years in connivance with GMADA officials. The High Court ordered different guilty beneficiaries in the case to deposit a total amount of Rs 72.36 crore, out of which Rs 43.72 crore has been deposited so far. More guava plants than the rules were planted on the land to be acquired by GMADA. It is alleged that those who took the land on lease showed two to two and a half thousand trees per acre. It is also alleged that they had taken the land on lease in 2018 and planted guava saplings there. In connivance with the officials, these saplings were shown in the records from 2016.