Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh): The district administration has handed over the nazul land to Waraseoni Nagar Palika Parishad. The officials of the Parishad in collusion with land sharks allotted it to a few people on lease for one year without the permission of higher authorities. One such nazul land is located between Nahru Chowk and Parshuram Chowk where a shopping complex has been built and sold to traders for lakhs of rupees.
But not a single penny was deposited in the accounts of the civic body. Now, the officials of the civic body are extorting money from those who have purchased the shops. According to the lease register, a plot of 1,350 square feet of land was allotted to Hariram KikomalTanwani and Rahul Hariram Tanwani, residents of Waraseoni. The land was transferred to him in 2021. But a business complex has been built on the land without permission of higher authorities. When a report about the land was sought through the Right to Information, the officials told the applicant that such application was of no use.
According to official sources, the plot on which the shopping complex was constructed was shown as Nazul land. A petition was filed in the court of collector. When the then collector Girish Kumar Mishra was hearing the case, he wanted to know from the chief municipal officer whether the Nazul land was allotted on lease with the civic body’s permission. The official concerned, however, could not give any reply.
Although a written complaint was sent to the sub-divisional officer and Tehsildar of Waraseoni, they did not order any inquiry into the complaint. Nor had they made any effort to stop the illegal constitution. There are reports that those who took the nazul land on lease constructed buildings on it. They sold those buildings, including shopping complexes, for crores of rupees. The officials of the civic body are sending notices to the shopkeepers just to complete the formality.
