An Additional District Magistrate (ADM) rank officer of the Bihar government was today compulsorily retired from service on corruption charges pertaining to irregularities in allotting government land on lease to private persons.
Confirming the state government move, a senior official of the General Administration Department (GAD) said, the official concerned, Ramesh Mishra, currently posted as Vaishali ADM, was facing departmental proceedings in the infamous Kishanganj tea garden case. He was scheduled to retire in 2016.
Mishra was among the 18 officials of various ranks accused of illegally giving 182 acres of government land on lease to private persons for tea cultivation between 1997 and 1999 in Pothia block of Kishanganj district. He was at that time posted there as Deputy Collector Land Reforms (DCLR), the GAD official, who did not want to be named, said.
The state government had lodged cases when the scam came to light. The matter was handed over to the Vigilance Department, which registered its own FIR and is conducting separate probe.
Departmental proceedings were also slapped against the 18 officials including two district magistrates, three ADMs and two Sub-divisional Magistrates. While 12 of them retired in due course, one was dismissed and five others including Mishra, were in service.
The GAD official said the government land was earmarked for industrial growth and it could not have been given for making tea gardens as it changed the use of land.
The permission to launch proceedings against Mishra was obtained from the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC).
Subsequently, departmental proceedings were conducted and charge sheet was filed. He was found guilty of irregularities and retired compulsorily, the official said.
