Punjab: Court orders confiscation of salaries of revenue officials

Punjab: In a case related to the acquisition of land of several villages for widening of Ghaggar river in Moonak and Khanauri areas of Sangrur district, the court of Additional District Judge Sangrur Upinder Singh Jandu has ordered attachment of salaries of several revenue officers posted in Moonak subdivision. The attachment of salaries has been ordered due to the “lax attitude” of the officers in preparing the case/computation report regarding balanced payment to the owners (farmers) of the acquired land in the villages of Moonak and Khanauri areas. Giving this information here today, Lalit Garg, counsel for Jagjit Singh and others, said that the land of his clients was acquired by the state government in the year 2008 for widening of Ghaggar river, but the government has not yet made full and final payment of the acquired land to them. In its order, the court has directed the revenue officials, Naib Tehsildar Tarlochan Singh, Kanungo Paramjit Singh, clerk Vikram in Moonak SDM office, clerk Jagdeep Singh in Khanauri sub-tehsil office and all concerned Patwaris Sukhjinder Singh, Parveen, Gaurav Bansal and Gurmel Singh posted in Moonak sub-division to appear before the court on May 9 at 10 am as the court has fixed May 9 as the next date of hearing for presenting proper records in all the cases. Lalit Garg, counsel for Jagjit Singh and others, also said that some payments were made to the farmers in different years after land acquisition, but full and final payment has not been made to all the land owners by the government till now. He said that later many farmers approached the civil court of Sangrur for justice.