Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 16: The Vigilance Organisation today registered a case under various provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) against seven persons including six serving and retired officers for illegal allotment of a plot at Trikuta Nagar.
The officers booked by the Vigilance Organisation included Satish Nehru, presently posted as Secretary, Housing and Urban Development and Vinod Sharma, former Vice Chairman of Jammu Development Authority, now posted as Director Economic Re-construction Agency (ERA).
The FIR against the accused has been registered under Section 5(1)(d), read with 5(2) Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Corruption Act and 120-B RPC in police station of Vigilance Organization, Jammu on the basis of verification conducted into allegation of illegal allotment of Plot No. 42 Sector 1-A Trikuta Nagar Jammu and grabbing of additional land against.
The officers named in the FIR included Vinod Kumar Sharma, then AEE/VC JDA, K.L Vuthoo, then VC JDA (now retired), Prith Pal Singh Betab, then Secretary JDA (now retired), L.K. Mengi then Executive Engineer, JDA (now retired), Satish Nehru, then DLM JDA, Romesh Koul, then CTP JDA (now retired) and Mamta Gupta (Sharma) wife of Vinod Sharma and other unnamed officers / officials of JDA.
Investigations conducted by the Vigilance Organisation revealed that during the year 1980, JDA had acquired land from various persons / land owners for developing housing colony at Trikuta Nagar, Jammu. As per Government Order No 171 UD of 1984, it was directed to allot a residential plot to the 38 families from whom the land was acquired at Channi Rama against a payment of Rs 3,000/- per Kanal as rehabilitation charges.
Prem Nath whose land was also taken by JDA approached for allotment of a plot in his favour but the allotment was delayed for unknown reasons. Vinod Kumar Sharma, former Vice Chairman, JDA who remained posted in JDA from 1987 to 2011 in different capacities (except the period from July 2006 to May 2010) developed a greed to grab the plot and managed to persuade Prem Nath through one Kewal Krishan R/o Purani Mandi to take Rs 3 lakhs from him in lieu of plot of land measuring 5400 sq ft which was to be allotted in his favour.
A lease deed stands executed between JDA and Prem Nath. However, before execution/registration of said lease deed, Prem Nath was made to sign power of attorney where under he empowered Mamata Gupta wife of Vinod Sharma as sole attorney of said plot. This power of attorney had been produced and registered before Court of Sub Registrar, City Jammu on the same day on which lease deed was registered. In this way in pursuance of well planned conspiracy the accused grabbed JDA land worth lakhs of rupees.
The Vigilance enquiry further revealed that after taking illegal possession of the plot, Mamata Gupta (Sharma) with the active connivance and help of her husband Vinod Sharma managed to grab illegally an additional land of 5200 sq ft thereby making a total illegal possession of 10600 sq ft.
Accordingly, case FIR No.18/2014 was registered by the Vigilance Organisation and the investigations taken up in the case.
The Vigilance Organization would call the accused shortly for further investigations.
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