The Tribune Exclusive: Punjab probing two IAS officers over sale of village pathways to New Chandigarh builder
The Punjab Government has initiated an inquiry against two senior IAS officers — Dilraj Singh Sandhawalia and Paramjit Singh — for facilitating the illegal sale of village pathways to a private builder in New Chandigarh.
Condition violated?
- Village pathways can’t be legally sold unless these are declared ‘abandoned’ by the Director, Consolidation, & Director, Land Records
- The sale of the land was approved without these being declared abandoned by the two officers in November 2024
The village pathways — called “rastas” — can’t be legally sold, unless these are declared abandoned by the Director, Consolidation, and the Director, Land Records. However, in this case, the sale was approved without the pathways being declared abandoned by the two officers in November 2024.
Sandhawalia is the Secretary of the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats and Paramjit Singh is the Director of the department. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had given a go-ahead to the inquiry last week. The Tribune has learnt that the inquiry is being conducted by Punjab Chief Secretary KAP Sinha. “The inquiry is almost over and the chargesheet will soon be issued to the two officers,” said a senior official in the government.
He also added the Vigilance Bureau would be further probing the matter. “They may inquire as to who originally allowed the sale of the land in 2018. The sale was then stayed by a court. After the case was decided, the two officers allowed the sale at a price higher than what was originally determined in 2018. There are allegations of some built-up property in New Chandigarh being given to some higher-ups for facilitating the sale,” the senior official added.
Despite repeated attempts, Sandhawalia and Paramjit Singh could not be contacted.
It may be mentioned that a private builder had purchased patches of farm land in and around Saini Majra village, the area that is now part of New Chandigarh and is being developed by Greater Mohali Area Development Authority. Apparently, in a bid to have a consolidated chunk of land for a housing project, the pathways, which were used by villagers, became inaccessible as these were allegedly cordoned off by the builder. In 2017, villagers had moved the Kharar court and got interim protection.
Some villagers later agreed to sell the land at Rs 2 crore per acre to the builder. However, some of the shareholders of the village common land (jumla mushtarka malkan land) that lay along the pathways, refused to sign the sale agreement. Later, the matter reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which in 2021 ruled that pathways could only be sold if declared abandoned. Despite the order, the land was sold to the builder in 2024.