ED attaches assets worth Rs 21 crores in NH-74 scam

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday attached properties worth Rs 21.96 crore in a corruption case related to widening of National Highway-74.

Movable and immovable properties belonging to special land acquisition officer (SLAO), land owners, farmers and middlemen were provisionally attached by the ED under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

While the immovable properties included agriculture land, commercial plots and buildings situated in Uttarakhand's Dehradun and Udham Singh Nagar and Uttar Pradesh's Rampur district, the movable properties consisted of eleven bank account deposits and mutual funds.

ED had initiated investigations into the case on the basis of an FIR and charge sheet filed by the Uttarakhand Police against Dinesh Pratap Singh and Anil Shukla, the then SLAO of the competent authority.

The duo had allegedly entered into conspiracy with public servants, farmers and middlemen for misappropriation of government funds by way of granting compensation at non agriculture rate.

"The compensation at non agriculture rate is much higher than the agriculture rate. The higher compensation was paid which resulted in loss of Rs 215.11 crore to the government treasury," the agency stated in an official statement.

Based on the FIR, the ED conducted investigation which revealed that the farmers and land owners who had got higher compensation "utilized the excess amount in buying the immovable property, making deposits in bank and giving commission to revenue officers".