Ranchi: The transfer of nearly 80 acres of land on the outskirts of this Jharkhand capital to a society of civil services officers at throwaway prices has been challenged in the court placing more than 10 bureaucrats under the scanner.
The Jharkhand government transferred 78.32 acres of land in Sanga village at throwaway prices to the Civil Services Officers Cooperative Housing Society Limited (CSOCHSL) Thursday. The land was registered at Rs.1,200 per decimal of land.
The market price of the land is more than Rs.75,000 per decimal of land. The estimated price of 78.32 acre land will be more than Rs.80 crore at prevailing market price.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed against IAS and IPS officers in Jharkhand High Court Saturday. The hearing of the case will take place Monday.
Petitioner Vishal Kumar said the land has been transferred through registered deed to CSOCHSL by violating the rules. A vigilance probe should be ordered to investigate the entire episode.
In the PIL, Kumar has demanded that the land transfer be scrapped with immediate effect.
According to reports, the land has huge deposit of granite and Chief Minister Shibu Soren has assured to look into the issue.
"The process to transfer land to the society was initiated during the Arjun Munda regime. The land has been transferred to the society by following the rules. What is wrong if a society formed by bureaucrats was provided land at subsidised rates. There was also a move to provide land to legislators at subsidised rates," a senior IAS official, who is member of the society, told a news agecny.
IANS
