Survey firm for highway alignment booked for plotting with land mafia: Cops

A private firm conducting survey to fix the alignment of a section of Panipat-Khatima National Highway near Jansath town in Muzaffarnagar district has been booked on charges of trying to defraud the public exchequer in collusion with the land mafia of the area.

The firm had fixed the alignment as passing through recently purchased plots by some some members of land mafia and had recommended to the government to acquire them for building the road, said police.

Muzaffarnagar Superintendent of Police (Rural) Alok Sharma told reporters that a criminal case against unknown officials of the firm and some alleged members of land mafia has been registered.

The FIR also mentions some unknown government officials as the accused, he said.

The case has been registered on the complaint of BJP MP Sanjeev Balyan, he added.

Asked which firm he has named in his complaint to the police, Balyan told PTI over phone that he has named no one in his complaint, leaving it to the police to investigate the matter.

He said the land had been purchased by some people belonging to Delhi and Rajasthan, while the firm belonged to Jaipur.

"I have named no one in the complaint, but given copies of recently registered land sale deeds to the police to help them investigate the matter," said Balyan.

Some of the people, who bought the land there, have got the nature of the land changed to non-agricultural category in advance, Balyan said.