Auction money: HC to hear Gag Dhagara village’s appeal today

Our Correspondent

Phagwara, May 23

The execution appeal filed by Gag Dhagara village is scheduled to be heard by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on May 24. According to the case status posted on the High Court’s website with case ID EA-13-2023, the appeal was filed by the gram panchayat against the state of Punjab and other.

Village sarpanch Banat Kaur, in her submission to the court, stated that former sarpanches had filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2015, seeking directions for a private contractor to deposit the remaining contract amount with the panchayat.

In their judgment on February 2, 2016, then Justice Surya Kant and Justice PB Bajanthri disposed of the petition and directed that necessary actions, including determining the amount payable by the private contractor, be completed within three months. The Mining Department was instructed to deduct the amount from the security deposit and release the gram panchayat’s share within one month.

According to the sarpanch’s appeal, an amount of Rs 1,48,15,757 was deducted from the contractor’s security deposit by the Mining Department. However, the gram panchayat has not received any payment yet.

The gram panchayat had passed a resolution during its meeting on November 19, 2002, to recover the pending amount from the Mining Department and the Block Development and Panchayat Officer in Nurmahal. The resolution was sent to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate in Phillaur, but the panchayat is still awaiting the release of the amount.

The sarpanch further mentioned that the Mining Department had auctioned the village mining quarry in 2013, which continued operations until 2015.

Court judgment not implemented yet

• In its judgment on February 2, 2016, the High Court directed the Mining Department to deduct the amount from the security deposit of the said contractor and release the gram panchayat's share within one month
• An amount of Rs 1,48,15,757 was deducted from the contractor's security deposit by the Mining Department. However, the gram panchayat has not received any payment yet

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