Leaked Haryana Government letter lists 370 ‘corrupt’ patwaris, 170 touts

A “secret” letter compiled by the Haryana Revenue and Disaster Management Department has come to the fore labelling 370 patwaris (revenue officials) as corrupt. The list also includes 170 private individuals who double up as middlemen-cum-assistants for these officials. A report has been sought from respective Deputy Commissioners within 15 days.

The officials are accused of taking money from people directly or through middlemen in lieu of getting their works done in the Revenue Department. Kaithal district tops the list with 46 “corrupt” patwaris, while Panchkula district has none. Kaithal is followed by Sonepat (41) and Mahendragarh (36) districts.

Gurugram district has the maximum number of middlemen (26), who allegedly take money on patwaris’ behalf. Mahendragarh district has 20 such individuals.

Interestingly, a middleman in Rohtak district has been charging people for revenue-related works posing as patwari. In the Bapoli block of Panipat, a middleman, Yusuf Khan, is already facing charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Another individual in Sirsa district has been doubling up as a driver and middleman of a patwari.

In Mahendragarh district, while a patwari remains occupied in property dealing (real estate agent), he relies on a middleman to handle most of his official tasks. In Hisar district, a patwari rarely attends work, forcing the public to resort to bribery to get their jobs done, reveals the letter.

It also names several patwaris who demand bribe directly, without involving assistants or middlemen.

According to the letter, these officials seek bribes ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 5,000, or even as high as Rs 10,000, per task depending on the nature of work.

While most of the patwaris have got their present posting in 2023 or 2024, some have been at the same station since 2016.

The letter issued to the deputy commissioners says these private individuals (middlemen) are involved in handling administrative tasks, leading to widespread corruption and exploitation of the public. A patwari usually deals in ‘khata takseem’ (partition of land records), land measurement, mutation of property and corrections in land records, etc.

Reacting to the list, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini reiterated the BJP government’s zero-tolerance policy on corruption.

The Financial Commissioner-cum-ACS, Revenue and Disaster Management, has directed the deputy commissioners to take strict action against those involved in corrupt practices and submit a report to the higher authorities within 15 days.