Wrong diversion of 12 thousand square feet of farm land with fake documents, name of BJP MLA’s brother cropped up

Mahasamund: A major scam has come to light in the district involving the conversion of agricultural land into residential land. Agricultural land identified as Khasra number 19/3 was illegally diverted for construction purposes using fake certificates and false affidavits. It appears that there was collusion among the patwari (land record officer), the revenue inspector (RI), and the sub-divisional officer (SDO). What’s particularly shocking is that the affidavit used for this diversion included the name of Dhaneshwar Sinha, the elder brother of current BJP MLA Yogeshwar Raju Sinha, as a witness. This issue began on January 10, 2022, when a landowner named Baldau Chandrakar applied to divert 12,000 square feet of his 0.442-hectare agricultural land. Following this, the SDO instructed the patwari and RI to inspect the site and report back. On January 22, patwari Dudh Nath Sahu submitted a report without any solid documentation, stating that the land was suitable for residential use. Then, on January 24, RI Manish Srivastava also conducted an inspection and created a report based on 27 points of inquiry, but he either left out crucial details or deliberately ignored them.

For instance, point 24 asked whether the land was part of an illegal colony, but this question was left unanswered. Point 25 inquired if the land was being diverted for the purpose of establishing a colony, to which the response was simply “residential use,” avoiding a direct answer. Later, on January 31, 2022, SDO Bhagwat Prasad Jaiswal ignored a clear directive from the state government that required any land diversion to be matched with approved plans from the Urban and Rural Development Department. The order also specified that such cases should not be sent to the Urban and Rural Development Department. Despite this, the officials did not verify the land use or the authenticity of the maps, and they approved the diversion based on fake documents.

On January 27, Baldau Chandrakar submitted an affidavit on a 20-rupee stamp paper, claiming that the entire land was residential but stating that due to financial constraints, he could only afford to pay the diversion fee for 12,000 square feet. He also asserted that the land was not part of any illegal colony. The affidavit was further strengthened by the testimony of the BJP MLA’s brother. According to the 2031 Master Plan, this land is designated solely for agricultural use. Nevertheless, the officials declared it residential based on false documents and affidavits, paving the way for the establishment of an illegal colony worth millions. This entire situation not only highlights a blatant disregard for government regulations but also reveals how officials, politicians, and departments are colluding with each other. The big question now is: will there be a serious investigation into this matter, or will it end up buried in the files like so many others?