Two ex-DMs of Kishanganj charged by vigilance in govt land scam

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The state vigilance investigation bureau has charged two former district magistrates (DMs) of Kishanganj among a dozen officials under various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC in a case related to scam in leasing 182 acres of government land during 1997-99. The bureau submitted the chargesheet in the special vigilance court here on Tuesday. A case against these officials had been filed in the vigilance police station on June 25, 2012.

Tea Garden Kishanganj

The officials against whom chargesheet (59/2013) has been submitted are two former DMs of Kishanganj, Radhe Shyam Bihari Singh and Subodh Nath Thakur, promoted IAS officers of 1988 and 1989 batch, respectively, two ADMs Ram Niwas Pandey and Bengali Ram, two SDOs, Pramod Kumar Singh and Madan Mohan Dev, two DCLRs, Rahbar Islam and Ramesh Mishra, and four Cos, Raghunandan Jha and Fateh Fayaz of Pothia block and Poonam Kumari Jha and Maksood Alam of Thakurganj block. All these officials served in Kishanganj district during 1997-99.

The vigilance bureau has charged the officials with leasing 182 acres of government land to 44 beneficiaries for 90 years after the state government accorded industry status to processing and packaging of tea leaves. Kishanganj is the only district in Bihar where tea is planted. The bureau estimated that the government suffered a cumulative loss of Rs 52.18 lakh. The bureau estimated a revenue loss to the tune of Rs 36.11 lakh during the tenure of Radhe Shyam and Rs 16.6 lakh during Thakur's tenure.

The bureau also calculated a loss of Rs 1.41 lakh following the renewal of lagan rate since 1997 and yet another revenue loss of Rs 30.54 lakh for not levying salami on the leased land. The chargesheet states that the government lost control over 182 acres of land due to illegal lease.

During the investigation, it was found that gross irregularities were committed by officials who misused their office and leased land to many members of a single family. "The 182 acres of land was settled in favour of eight to ten families. Apart from gair mazarua khas land, the officials jumped their authority and illegally settled gair mazarua aam land, including the land which had already been settled in favour of tribal people," the chargesheet states.

The state government, in order to promote tea industry, gave it an industry status in its industrial policy of 1995 and made provision for settlement of a maximum of five acres of gair mazarua khas land for setting up tea processing and packaging industries. The DM was authorized to allot land. But the vigilance bureau said the officials misinterpreted the government order and, in connivance with the local tea planters, declared only 'tea plantation' as industry.