Gurugram official recommends cancellation of BPL plots

A Gurugram Sub-Divisional Magistrate has recommended that the allotment of a dozen free plots to below-poverty-line families be cancelled as a probe found that the beneficiaries do not belong to the category, an official said on Tuesday.

The sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) came to the conclusion based on facts and records collected and presented by a Right To Information (RTI) activist, Sudhir Yadav.

Overall, 21 plots measuring 100 sq metres each, kept aside for the below poverty line (BPL) category families, were allotted free of cost in village Mubarikpur, some 25 km from this city after the allotment procedure started in 2011.

"Village Mubarikpur is located nearly one km from Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway. So rates of property are quite high as compared to other villages. This is one of the main reasons behind the scam," Yadav told IANS.

Yadav, 26, a resident of Farukh Nagar, first complained to the concerned authorities when the final list of allottees was prepared in 2011.

"I complained to Gurugram Deputy Commissioner T.L. Satyaprakash's office and Haryana 'CM Window'. The 'CM Window' told me that my complaint was disposed of," Yadav said.

"I again filed a complaint at 'CM Window'. Then I was called by Gurugram DC office and the matter was handed over to Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) office," he said.

"Block Development and Panchayat Officer's (BDPO) office guided me to the ADC's office and I met ADC V.P. Singh. The probe was handed over to SDM, Pataudi," he added.

After collecting all information about allottees from their concerned employers and land revenue offices through RTIs, Yadav presented the documents to Pataudi SDM Ravinder Yadav.

Ravinder Yadav called several meetings, including with former village Sarpanch Raj Singh and the committee that recommended allotment of BPL plots to the non-eligible families.

"I recommend cancellation of plots allotted to non-eligible allottees and register criminal cases against those who produced wrong affidavits claiming the BPL plots. Action must be taken against the former sarpanch and the committee," SDM Yadav said in his report to Gurugram District Collector.

Yadav said that the plot beneficiaries include an employee in Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), a Haryana school teacher, one employed with Haryana power dicsom. Some families were already allotted such plots in the past while others are agriculture land owners.

"We have received the SDM's report and appropriate action will be taken soon," said an official from the District Commissioner's office.

--IANS

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