Two ex-Naib Tehsildars charged with wrongful land allotment

The district administration has been able to recover the ,1900 acres of Sohna Municipal land from the land mafia.

According to administration officials,the two Naib Tehsildars appointed in Sohna in 1999 and 2000,allegedly had links with the land mafia and changed the ‘girdawari’ (ownership of the farmland) to favour private parties.

After the land scam came to light,Deputy Commissioner P C Meena reportedly directed his officials to lodge FIRs against both the Naib Tehsildars for allegedly favouring the land mafia. Meena has also recommended departmental action against the officials.

Officials maintained that Mohammed Ishaq during his posting as Naib Tehsildar in Sohna from March 19,1999 to June 3,1999,pronounced decisions on 11 suits filed in his revenue court. In his decisions,the girdawari of the government land was allegedly changed in favour of private share holders without making the forest department,which was in possession of the land,a party to it. About 206 acres were involved in these 11 suits.

Naib Tehsildar Mahender Singh Phogat also allegedly delivered faulty decisions in 12 suits,involving about 95 acres of land, filed in his revenue court. These decisions were pronounced between July 21,1999 and March 3,2000,during his posting there.

In these cases too,the girdawari of land belonging to the Sohna Municipal Committee (originally forest land),was allegedly changed to the name of private parties flouting norms.

Meena told Newsline,“These were the two biggest transfer of land (around 300 acres) that was done illegally by these two officials. The remaining 1,600 acres of recovered land were given away through manipulation of records in connivance with other revenue officials. We are carrying on investigations to nab the other officials involved. In the meantime,these 1,900 acres have now been transferred to the administration”.