Arbitration fee: Govt says payment pending, officer Ladhar disagrees

CHANDIGARH: A controversy has arisen over the repayment of arbitration fee charged by IAS officer SR Ladhar from landowners in Jalandhar and Patiala for settling disputes over land acquired by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

S.R. Ladhar, IAS

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 19

A controversy has arisen over the repayment of arbitration fee charged by IAS officer SR Ladhar from landowners in Jalandhar and Patiala for settling disputes over land acquired by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

While the state government maintains that the officer is yet to deposit more than Rs 1 crore, the officer maintains that he has already deposited Rs 1.83 crore, the amount charged by him as arbitration fee, with the government.

Ladhar, now posted in the Defence Services Department, was accused of wrongfully charging the arbitration fee in 2011 while posted as Commissioner, Patiala Division, and later as Commissioner, Jalandhar Division.

He was also accused of unilaterally deciding that the arbitration cost would be equally shared by the landowner and the NHAI.

Sources say Ladhar had deposited arbitration fee worth Rs 2.86 crore in an arbitrator’s account. The government case file says that of this amount, Ladhar had transferred Rs 1.6 crore to his own savings account. Officials say while Ladhar has already returned Rs 94.82 lakh to the government against the arbitration fee charged in Jalandhar and Rs 31.37 lakh against the arbitration fee charged in Patiala, he is yet to deposit Rs 1.57 crore. Of this amount, Rs 57.17 lakh is to be received by the state government from the Income Tax Department as Ladhar had paid this amount as income tax. “He has twice been sent letters to deposit the money and settle the account, but he has not done so,” said a senior officer dealing with the case. Ladhar, said:“I have already deposited 1.26 crore. Only Rs 57.17 lakh, pending with the IT Department, has to be refunded. As soon as I get the refund, I will deposit the money. The case, as decided by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, has been settled. Had it not been so, I would be liable for contempt. The officer sending me notices is a fool. I have taken up the matter with the Chief Secretary, apprising him that I have cleared the dues and that the Jalandhar Commissioner is sending me details of withdrawals, though the case has been settled as per the directive of the High Court. I have requested the Chief Secretary to sort out the matter once and for all. I have given him details of how and when I returned the money.”