In view of increasing cases of corruption in government offices in the state including senior officers, Chief Minister Haryana has taken decision that State Vigilance Bureau (SVB) in Haryana will work now similar to CBI having powers to conduct raids and arrest alleged accuse including senior officers involved in corrupt practices, it was disclosed to media persons by Shatrujit Kapoor Chief of Vigilance Bureau in the state. He said, at present while conducting a raid or an investigation in a case SVB investigation team have to accompany a duty magistrate and before arresting a senior officer of a rank of HCS, HPS, IAS and IPS have to take permission from the higher government authorities prior to taking action which not only delays investigation but also cause leakage of important information.
Shatrujit Kapoor SVB chief said that according to the present decision corrupt officer as well as staff in government offices may be pushed behind bars by SVB framing a case with the directions by Additional Chief Secretary for which Chief Secretary Haryana Sanjiv Kaushal has already sent information to all Divisional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners in the state to assist SVB team. According to rule constituted in 2008 SVB was authorized to undertake raids along with a duty magistrate which has now been modified by Haryana state government in order to wipe out fast increasing corruption in government offices since past few years.
After a recent scam exposed at Ambala in which land mafias started developing unauthorized colonies illegally on Panchayat land where number of residential as well as commercial building have been constructed on the basis of fake documents by Tehsil offices. Supreme Court of India has ordered to cancel all such property registrations and demolish unauthorized constructions thereon as such those involved in corrupt and illegal practices are in the state of panic and concerned officers and employees involved in corrupt practices are in the state of terror.
In case of illegal registration of properties over 108 acre Panchayat land at village Kardhan adjoining Ambala Cantt state revenue department has started checking records of all illegal cases of registrations, where 17 illegal registrations has been detected illegal on this prime Panchayat land which included 11 registration cases finalized in a day by then Tehsildar Mewa Singh and Patwari Anil Kumar violating rules causing revenue loss to the government for amount worth Rs 23 crore.
Recently, State vigilance Bureau has registered FIR against then Deputy Commissioner R.P. Gupta, SDM Satbir Singh, Tehsildar Godu Ram and Naib Tehsildar Devindfer Singh under various sections of IPC among them both DC and SDM have already been retired from services. Whereas on the other hand large number of people constructed houses as well commercial structures on illegal land are in the state of shock running here and there to save their properties since after the orders to cancel all such registrations, demolish structures on land belonging to Panchayat will become under the ownership of Municipal Corporation where according to planning all milk dairies located inside the municipal area Ambala Cantt were to be shifted at a place.
According to information, earlier cases were registered against then Naib Tehsildar Sewa Ram and Patwari Anil Kumar allegedly finalized several registration cases of properties violating rules by then Collector cum DC Ambala for their self-vested interest during period 2011 – 2013 and now trapped in SVB net for misusing their power.
