District Magistrate among 3 top Haridwar officials suspended over ‘land scam', Dhami asks Vigilance to probe

Indian Express

03-06-2025

The Uttarakhand government suspended two IAS officers and a Provincial Civil Service (PCS) officer following an inquiry into an alleged land scam in Haridwar.
The suspended officers are Haridwar District Magistrate Karmendra Singh, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Varun Chaudhary, and Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ajayveer Singh.
An inquiry into the alleged scam was conducted by a senior officer in the Secretariat. According to officials to whom the report was submitted, the scam involved the officers allegedly facilitating the conversion of agricultural land into non-agricultural land, resulting in an increased valuation, after which the corporation acquired it for a higher price.
The seller of the plot of land had submitted an application for conversion of land use in July, which was approved in October 2024. An official said, 'The agricultural land, according to the circle rate, was valued at Rs 15 crore. But with the conversion, the circle rate shot up, and it was acquired for over Rs 52 crore. The whole procedure took place without seeking approval from the government.'
Following the suspension, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a detailed investigation into the matter by the Vigilance Department. The sale deed related to the land scam has been cancelled, and orders have been issued to recover the money paid to the landowners. The Chief Minister has also directed a special audit of all works carried out during the tenure of Municipal Commissioner Varun Chaudhary in the corporation to look into any financial irregularities.
In the suspension order, the Municipal Corporation has been accused of committing irregularities in the acquisition of 2.3 hectares of land in village Sarai in Haridwar.
'As per the preliminary inquiry report dated 29-05-2025 received through the Urban Development Department, Ajayveer Singh (PCS), then Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Haridwar / currently SDM, Bhagwanpur, has been found prima facie responsible for potential collusion with the land sellers. Within a short period, he facilitated the conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural under section 143 of the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, without complying with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) laid down by the Uttarakhand Revenue Council. He also violated other relevant rules and misused his official position,' the order stated.
The other two officers — the DM, who was then the administrator of the corporation, and the Municipal Commissioner — have been accused of neglecting official duties, failing to follow the prescribed procedures, not safeguarding the interests of the corporation, and violating rules.
DM Karmendra Singh and SDM Ajayveer Singh did not respond to calls from The Indian Express seeking their comment on the matter. Municipal Commissioner Varun Chaudhary said he could not comment as an inquiry is underway.
A total of 10 officials have been suspended in this matter so far.
Aiswarya Raj is a correspondent with The Indian Express who covers South Haryana. An alumna of Asian College of Journalism and the University of Kerala, she started her career at The Indian Express as a sub-editor in the Delhi city team. In her current position, she reports from Gurgaon and covers the neighbouring districts. She likes to tell stories of people and hopes to find moorings in narrative journalism. ... Read More