Ropar land sold for pittance to developers

Tribune News Service

Vishav Bharti & Arun Sharma

Chandigarh/Ropar, September 10

The state government has smelled a rat in the auction of eight acres of prime land in Ropar that, it claims, was sold to private developers, including an Akali leader, at throwaway prices.

It has asked the Vigilance Bureau (VB) to investigate the matter.

The current market value of the land located in the heart of Ropar town is around Rs 50 crore, but it was sold to prominent private developers for just Rs 1.6 crore.

The matter dates back to 1998, but the order to hand over possession of the land was issued last year during the then Congress government.

In 1998, then government had decided to sell off five chunks of surplus land — 4.26 acre, 9,362 sq yd, 8,712 sq yd, 3,558 sq yd and 812 sq yd — in Ropar belonging to the Department of Water Resources.

The department had constituted two committees to assess the rates of plots — two of which were situated outside the municipal limits.

Both committees fixed Rs 1,200 per sq yd as a reserve price for a site near a youth hostel and Rs 800 per sq yd for another site near Sedabrat.

The first auction took place on July 24, 1998, but only four bidders came forward. But they expressed unwillingness to participate in the auction.

Subsequently, reserve price for the youth hostel land was reduced drastically to Rs 700 sq yd. The price of land at Kotla Nalla near Nangal Chowk and the one near Sedabrat was reduced to Rs 500 per sq yd.

Another auction notice was published in newspapers, but the permission for holding the auction was not taken from the competent authority.

In the re-auction on July 29, 1998, six bidders participated and five of them bid successfully. The land was auctioned off at throwaway prices.

Later, the auction was challenged in court, triggering a long-drawn-out legal fight that still continues to this day. The bidder could not get the possession of the land.

Finally in 2021, then Congress government had ordered to hand over the land to the bidders for a pittance, raising several questions.

As per the order, Ranjit Singh Gill and Company got 8,712 sq yd for Rs 740 per sq yd, Paramjit Singh and Company got 812 sq yd for Rs 1,425 per sq yd, Baghel Singh and Company got two sites — 3,558 sq yd and 9,362 sq yd — at the same price of Rs 515 per sq yd, and Daljit Singh and Company got 4.26 acre for Rs 2.05 lakh per acre.

One principal question is why the government did not reconsider its earlier decision and explored the possibility of selling the land at market price by holding a fresh auction.

Now, the government has smelled a scam. In a letter written to the Chief Director (Vigilance), Principal Secretary (Water Resources) Krishan Kumar has said that it seemed that there was collusion between persons interested in buying the land and department officials handling the sale.

“The reserve price was drastically reduced. If there was no competition during the auction, the authorities should have withheld it instead of causing a huge loss to the state exchequer. It appears that departmental interest was compromised,” he said in the order.

The Principal Secretary has requested the VB to get the matter inquired from a senior officer at the earliest.

He did not take calls in spite of repeated attempts.

One of the bidders, Paramjeet Singh, died a few years ago, while another bidder Daljit Singh said he had no information regarding any inquiry.

Baghel Singh and Ranjit Singh, an Akali leader, termed the allegations of getting the land for a song as “vindictive”.

They had, two months ago, filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the authorities for contempt of court.

The two bidders said the government had been delaying the process of registering the property in their names for 24 years on one pretext or the other even after having received the entire amount decided during the open bid.

“Finding it hard to get the property transferred in our names for more than two decades, we had offered to return the land at the purchase price with interest,” said Baghel Singh.

Matter dates back to 1998

• Around eight acres of prime land in Ropar was sold to private developers, including an Akali leader, at throwaway prices
• The current market value of the land is around Rs 50 crore, but it was given to developers for just Rs 1.6 crore
• The matter dates back to 1998, but the order to give possession of the land was issued last year during the then Congress government

Legal fight continues to this day

• In 1998, then government had decided to sell off five chunks of surplus land — 4.26 acre, 9,362 sq yd, 8,712 sq yd, 3,558 sq yd and 812 sq yd — belonging to Water Resources Dept
• Reserve price for one of the sites was fixed at Rs 1,200 per sq yd; price for another site was Rs 800 per sq yd
• The first auction took place on July 24, 1998, but only four bidders came forward; auction did not take place
• Subsequently, reserve price was reduced drastically; in the re-auction on July 29, 1998, six bidders participated and five of them bid successfully; land was auctioned off at throwaway prices
• Later, the auction was challenged in court, triggering a long-drawn-out legal fight that continues to this day

Bidders’ version

Baghel Singh and Ranjit Singh, two of the five bidders, termed the allegations of buying the land at throwaway price as ‘vindictive’. They said the government had been delaying the process of registering the property in their names for 24 years on one pretext or the other even after having received the entire amount decided during the open bid.

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