The Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau and Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Monday filed its first chargesheet against 10 people for allegedly embezzling Rs 32 crore in compensation meant for land acquisition in the Bharatmala road project corridor between Raipur and Visakhapatnam from 2020 to 2024. The Opposition Congress had raised the issue in the Vidhan Sabha in March this year, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. Leader of Opposition Charan Das Mahant had told the House: “This is the central government’s funds and there may also be some state funds. If you calculate all the roads of Bharatmala project, then over Rs 350 crore more has been paid (to beneficiaries). It is a big issue. Many senior officials are involved. I have no hesitation in saying that2-3 party leaders may be involved. My only request to the chief minister and the minister is that this must be probed by the CBI”. However, the case was handed over to the EOW/ACB, which registered an FIR earlier this year and arrested 10 people, including two government servants and eight brokers, for forgery in compensation related to three villages. On Monday, the EOW filed a chargesheet in court against two amins (revenue employees) of the Water Resources Department — Gopal Ram Verma (Retired) and Narendra Kumar Nayak — along with eight brokers: Uma Tiwari, Kedar Tiwari, Harmeet Singh Khanuja, Vijay Kumar Jain, Khemraj Koshle, Punuram Deshlahare, Bhojram Sahu and Kundan Baghel. Explaining the modus operandi, an EOW official said, “In one village, the accused created backdated forged documents which were used to divide and transfer the land ownership, due to which an excess compensation of Rs 28 crore was given. In the second village, Rs 2 crore was paid as compensation for land already acquired by the government. In the third case, forged papers were made to show land was transferred to one Uma Tiwari and Rs 2 crore was paid to her.” The official added, “The investigation also established that some revenue department officials, in collusion with private broker Harmeet Singh Khanuja and his associates, lured farmers with the promise of higher compensation. These brokers, in collusion with revenue officials, committed forgery in land deeds and transferred a significant portion of the compensation to their own accounts and affiliated firms.”
