District Magistrate of Amethi, Rakesh Kumar Mishra, got a case registered against Additional District Magistrate Ashok Kumar Kannaujia and retired sub-divisional magistrate RD Ram in connection with a Rs 382-crore compensation distribution scam during the widening of a road in Musafirkhana tehsil.
According to reports, during the widening of Lucknow-Varanasi highway in Amethi, land of farmers of 45 revenue villages was acquired for the construction of a bypass in Jagdishpur and Musafirkhana areas of Amethi. In the land acquisition, a loss of Rs 382 crore was caused to the state treasury by illegally showing remote land next to NH-56. A case was registered on Wednesday against the then SDM of Musafirkhana RD Ram and ADM Ashok Kumar Kannaujia on charges of misuse of position and fraud.
ADM Ashok Kumar Kannaujia is posted at the headquarters, while RD Ram has retired. On Wednesday, Musafirkhana Registrar Kanungo Surendra Prasad Srivastava filed a complaint against the then SDM RD Ram, Ashok Kumar Kannaujia and some other persons.
Inspector Vinod Singh said that a case had been registered.
The Government of India had given approval in the year 2012 for widening of Lucknow-Varanasi highway-56. The process started in the year 2014. Apart from widening of the road, land was acquired for the construction of a bypass outside the town in Jagdishpur and Musafirkhana. For the construction of the bypass, the officers illegally fixed the compensation for cultivable land at four times the circle rate instead of the land adjacent to the NH 56. When an investigation was conducted to determine irregularities in determination and distribution of compensation, a scam of Rs 382 crore was revealed.
The then SDM RD Ram, who was posted from February 23, 2015 to September 18, 2015, and the then ADM Ashok Kumar Kannaujia, who was posted from September 19, 2015 to March 25, 2016, and some unknown persons have been found guilty of causing Rs 382 crore loss to the state treasury. Now after criminal investigation into the matter, further action will be taken against those held guilty in the probe.
