UNA/SHIMLA: A 13-year-old land deal in Una’s Haroli constituency has snowballed into a major political controversy.
At the centre is a ₹28-crore land deal made by HIMUDA in 2013 under mysterious circumstances.
The deal is now under the scanner of the State Vigilance Bureau.
Around 600 kanals of land were bought from Jarnail Singh and his family for a housing project.
HIMUDA planned to construct flats and a residential colony on the site.However, the land was later found unsuitable for any construction.
Investigators say the land is uneven and full of ravines and nalas. It is neither flat nor fit for building any structure.
Even today, no development plan exists for the area.
Vigilance has alleged massive financial irregularities in the deal.
The land was reportedly purchased at inflated rates. This in turn caused huge loss to the state exchequer, revealed sources.
The purchase process started during the Congress regime in 2013. The final deal was cleared when BJP was in power.
This has triggered a political blame game between both party leaders.
After a complaint, Vigilance conducted a preliminary inquiry. The allegations made in the complaint were found to be prima facie true.
An FIR was then registered against landowner Jarnail Singh, sources said. Charges of cheating and forgery have been slapped on him.
The investigation is now being widened.
Officials of HIMUDA and the revenue department are next in line.
Government has reportedly granted permission for deeper probe. Vigilance teams are scanning records from Una to Shimla Secretariat.
Senior officers and influential figures are under the lens.
DSP Firoz Khan is leading the investigation team. All documents and statements are being collected. A detailed report will soon be submitted to the government, said officials
But Civil society groups have questioned the probe’s direction.They allege Vigilance is targeting only the landowner’s family. Big beneficiaries are being kept out of the investigation.
Activists are demanding a CBI or ED probe as they suspect a shoddy probe.
They claim large sums of money changed hands. Only central agencies can uncover the truth, they say.
The 13-year delay in filing the complaint raises eyebrows. Why was the issue not flagged earlier?
Who protected the deal for so long remains a mystery.
Questions are also being raised about political involvement. Was the deal pushed under BJP rule?
What exactly happened between 2013 and 2018 is unclear.
There is buzz of internal power tussle within the government.
Is this shadow boxing between CM Sukhu and Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri?
Or is it a calculated political move ahead of elections?
Official circle rate data has further exposed the scam. Even today, land rates in Haroli are far lower. Yet HIMUDA paid inflated prices a decade ago.
Top circle rates now range between ₹9,000 and ₹14,500 per kanal. The 2013 deal was much higher than these figures.
This strengthens suspicion of deliberate overvaluation done at the behest of a political master, sources say.
People fear the case may be buried in red tape or at best it would end up settling the mutual scores.
Past scams, they say, met the same fate. Trust in the "vigilance system" is steadily eroding.
With elections nearing, will BJP sharpen its attack, given that it was clinched during their rule?
The ₹28-crore scam will be a major poll weapon in Haroli if BJP rolls its dice. Congress insists it has "nothing to hide".
Public pressure is mounting on Agnihotri, a five-times MLA from Haroli, after the rotten eggs have come up in public doman.
Citizens want accountability from all regimes and Agnihotri is expected to clear the air, given his Mandi Rally Rant he made in full force, comments a Congress leader.
The big question remains—will the truth finally come out?
