Unclaimed lands near Ring Road and Sector Road have also caught the attention of JDA officials along with property dealers. Sources say the officials have charged a service fee of Rs. 10,000 per square meter to issue desired plots. This amount was separately determined by officials from the zone and the JDA headquarters.
In response to complaints received by UDH Minister Jhabar Singh Kharra and other ministers, Kharra has initiated an investigation into these cases of exchanging land for land.
Sources claim that for exchanging land at the JDA headquarters, an amount of approximately Rs. 7,500, and for the zone, up to Rs. 2,500, has been taken as a service fee. This means that property dealers and leasers were spending up to Rs. 10,000 per square meter to acquire plots for unclaimed land in Ring Road and Sector Road, where they could potentially earn two to three times more profit. This has resulted in significant losses for the farmers.
It has come to light during the investigation that hundreds of farmers have obtained reservation certificates, but even after filing documents at the JDA, they are not being issued plots. This is because the farmers are incapable of paying the bribes demanded by JDA officials. Consequently, these farmers, who possess property business reservation certificates, end up selling them due to their desperate situation.
Property dealers have purchased reservation certificates for unclaimed land in Ring Road and Sector Road for amounts ranging from Rs. 22,000 to Rs. 24,000 per square meter. After obtaining reservation certificates, they file for plots in the respective zones. Subsequently, the file reaches the Land Acquisition Officer, Zone Office, Secretary, and JDC. It is said that files used to move from the office only after receiving the ‘service fee.’ Property dealers, claiming to pay a purported bribe of Rs. 10,000 per meter, allocate plots on Ring Road where prices are around Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 50,000 per square meter.
Reservation certificates have been allotted this year to farmers in the vicinity of Abhaypura, Muhana, Nevaata, Mahapura, Khetapura, Buhariya, Jayarajpura, Prahlaadpura, Khetapura, and Dadiya-Ganwar. Officers have allocated plots in Prahlaadpura, Mahapura, Chimanpura, and several other areas where land prices are skyrocketing.
