In an apparent attempt to escape the Special Investigation Team (SIT) interrogation, the two Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officers Pankaj Kumar Pandey and Chandresh Yadav have gone on leave. These officers have gone on leave at a time when the State Government has given the go-ahead nod to the SIT to interrogate them. It is learnt that following the approval granted by the State Government, the SIT chief and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Udham Singh Nagar district, Sadanand Date was all set to interrogate both Pandey and Yadav in the sensational National Highway–74 land acquisition and compensation scam on Wednesday itself. It is pertinent to mention here that the SIT chief Date is likely to be relieved to the Central Government in a few days. Date, who is spearheading the investigation in the Rs 300 crore compensation scam, has been assigned a stint in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Things are being kept on hold as the probe into the high-profile scam is supposed to have reached its critical stage when the heads have started rolling.
Queried over the leave of the IAS officers, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that the investigation is going on in the right direction. “I am not aware that they have gone on leave. But there is a limit for being on leave. If something has come to the fore they should come forward and face it,’’ he said. He categorically said that the SIT chief Sadanand Date would be relieved of his charge here and sent to the Central Government only after the investigation is completed.
Significantly, following SIT finding gross irregularities in the arbitrations done by the two IAS officers Pandey and Yadav during their tenure as District Magistrates of Udham Singh Nagar, the department of personnel of Uttarakhand on Friday had asked them to submit their clarification within seven days. If not satisfied by the explanation to be put forward by these officers within the stipulated time, the State Government may take permission from the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievance and Pensions to take punitive action against them.
The Scam
The multi-crore scam is said to have occurred during the years 2011 to 2016 when work on widening of the Haridwar- Bareilly National Highway (NH – 74) was taking place.
In connivance with the corrupt officers, the agricultural land was shown as non-agricultural land in the revenue record, resulting in a hefty increase in the value of the lands acquired for the project.
Then Kumaon commissioner, D Senthil Pandian had blown the lid off the scam after which the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat sought a probe by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into it. However, as the Centre did not act on the request the State Government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by the Senior Superintendent of Police Udham Singh Nagar, Sadanand Date to have the scam investigated into. Importantly, SIT has so far sent two dozen officers and employees of revenue and administration to jail in connection with the scam.