Illegal Farmhouses Chandigarh periphery: Forest Dept lodges plaint against realtors

Chandigarh, May 31

Days after registering an FIR against realtor and managing director of WWICS Lt Col BS Sandhu (retd) in connection with illegal carving out of farmhouses on the periphery of Chandigarh, the Punjab Forest Department has lodged a criminal complaint against Lt Col Sandhu and his son Devinder Singh Sandhu, senior director of WWICS, in the court of Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate, Kharar.

The case has been filed under Sections 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), Forest Conservation Act and Indian Forest Act. The case has been lodged by Forest Range Officer Ranjodh Singh.

Officials in the department said the complaint had been filed in the court for directions to the police to add Devinder’s name to the FIR registered earlier and add Sections 186 (punishment for obstructing public servant in discharge of duty) and 353 (use of criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duties) of the IPC.

DFO Guramanpreet Singh has already stated the police had not included Devinder’s name in the FIR. The department has to take the court route to direct the police to do the needful.

In connection with a complaint made by Devinder on CM’s anti-corruption helpline regarding the purported video sting of forest officials seeking bribe, Forest Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak has stated the video had been sent for forensic examination.