Rs 500 crore scam leaves 200 tribal families landless

A huge land scam that may run to Rs 500 crore has been unearthed in Chhattisgarh. In fact, the magnitude of the scam and the blatant manner in which around 500 hectares of forest and tribal lands were grabbed by land sharks with alleged patronage from influential people in the power corridor in the state has shocked many.

Said to be the biggest ever land grab case in Chhattisgarh, the scam has even taken the anti-graft sleuths of Chhattisgarh police who have been entrusted with the task of probing the scandal, aback.

“I have not heard of land grab of this scale in my three-decade-old professional career. The blatant manner in which the land sharks resorted to forgery even by faking district collector’s stamps and signatures to usurp forest and tribal lands has startled me,” a member of the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) probing the scam told this newspaper on Saturday on condition of anonymity.

The land sharks acquired forest and tribal lands in Mahasamund-Saraipali stretch in east Chhattisgarh district of Mahasamund in a fraudulent manner and received a huge compensation to the tune of Rs 100 crore from the Centre which acquired the lands later for construction of National Highway 53 passing through the region, preliminary findings in the ACB probe has revealed.

“The expose is only a tip of iceberg. We could smell 15 more such scams in the area that may run to Rs 500 crore,” he added.

The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of the ACB has registered cases under Sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (committing for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code against the accused who included local businessmen allegedly enjoying patronage from some senior ruling BJP leaders in the state and several officials of local revenue department. The land grab was done in 2005-08.

“Prima facie it has been established that forest lands were acquired in the name of some local tribals and then diversion of the lands were made in a fraudulent manner by using forged seals and signature of the then local district collector. A firm was established to regularise the illegal transactions,” a sleuth told this newspaper on Saturday on condition of anonymity.

The scam has come to the fore when a district collector who has been shunted out of the post in the wake of the exposure, ordered a probe into it.

The district chief had then recommended actions against two the then sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) after the probe found them guilty in it.

Incidentally, one of the SDMs got a plum post as additional district magistrate (ADM) in a district in the aftermath of the exposure of the scam, while the other erring officer died.

“We have already established evidence of grab of 183.53 hectares of forest land in Pilbapani area under Pithora block in Mahasamund district by the clique by using names of some local tribals,” the probe officer said.

The probe has indicated that even design of the NH 53 passing through the areas has reportedly been changed to benefit particular people.

Unnecessary diversions of the NH were allegedly made at two places at Pithora and Palbihi to acquire lands of particular beneficiaries of compensation even though enough government lands were available for construction of the road, preliminary findings of the probe have indicated.

Lands were also acquired from local tribals at throwaway prices to sell them to the Centre for laying the NH to get huge compensations.

“At least 200 tribal families in Jhalab, Jumgaon, Patewa, Bagabahara, Pithora, Saraipali and Basna in the region have become landless following the illegal transactions,” inquiries have disclosed.