TNN
Jul 12, 2012, 06.48AM IST
CHANDIGARH:
Eighteen years after Congress leader and Ambala MLA Vinod Sharma had
got 168 acres of Shamlat land in Bhadso village of Karnal district,
the Punjab and Haryana high court has put a stay on construction
activities in 100 acres of this land for allegedly violating the
terms of agreement.
Haryana
government had allegedly acquired the land for Sharma in 1994. The
land has allegedly been used for agricultural and personal purposes
by Sharma in violation of the terms of agreement between the village
panchayat and the MLA.
The
orders were passed on Wednesday by a division bench of Justice Hemant
Gupta of the HC while hearing a petition filed by some members of
Bhadso village panchayat.
In
its orders, Justice Gupta restrained Sharma from making any change in
the nature of land use in question. The bench also issued notice to
Haryana government, Piccadily Agro Industries, financial commissioner
(revenue) and director panchayat, Haryana to file their response in
the matter.
The
petitioners informed the court that in 1994, Sharma allegedly used
his position to acquire around 168 acres of Shamlat land (village
common land) by suspending the then village sarpanch Jasmer Singh,
who had refused to transfer the said land in favour of Sharma.
The
land was transferred within a few days by appointing an acting
sarpanch with the intervention of local administration for setting up
a sugar mill on that land, the petitioners said. At present, Sharma
has set up a sugar mill called Piccadily Agro Industries on this
land.
The
petitioners alleged that Sharma has used only 40% of the said land
and used the remaining land for agricultural and personal purposes,
which is a misuse of Shamlat land.
Demanding
restoration of the said land to village panchayat, the petitioner
sought the quashing of land transfer because the same has been got
transferred for personal aggrandizement, at the cost of village
community and in active connivance of Haryana government by allegedly
misusing power and position by Venod Sharma.
Directions
has also been sought to hand over possession of the entire unutilized
vacant land being used by Sharma as agricultural/farm house. The case
would now come up for further hearing on August 29.
©
2012 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved
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