Punjab government suspends Moga additional deputy commissioner over Rs 3 crore land acquisition controversy

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Government has suspended Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Moga district, Charumita Shekhar, a 2014-batch Punjab Civil Service (PCS) officer, for her role in a controversial land acquisition. The suspension follows serious allegations of irregularities in a land acquisition case worth over Rs 3 crore linked to the National Highway-703 project in the district. Punjab Chief Secretary KAP Sinha ordered Charumitas suspension on Thursday evening after taking cognizance of the Punjab and Haryana High Courts stern observations regarding contradictory reports in the land acquisition for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) project. According to an official order issued by the Department of Personnel (PCS Branch), the officer has been placed under suspension under Rule 4(1)(a) of the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 1970. During her suspension, Charumitas headquarters will remain in Chandigarh, and she will receive a subsistence allowance as per service rules. Shekhar, who also served as the municipal commissioner, had been charge-sheeted for allegedly consenting to the land acquisition award worth Rs 3 crore in Moga district. The case pertains to alleged irregularities in land demarcation and compensation under the NHAI project. The Financial Commissioner (Revenue) had earlier ordered a fresh demarcation to be carried out in the presence of nominees from the Chief Director of Punjab Vigilance Bureau, PWD Secretary, and NHAI, under the supervision of Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner Deepshikha Sharma. Their report differed from earlier reports. The land in question was originally acquired in 1963 by the PWD (B&R), Ferozepur, for road construction and had remained in continuous public use for more than five decades. In his observations dated September 17, Ravi Bhagat, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and Secretary, PWD, noted multiple contradictory demarcation reports issued between 2021 and 2025, as well as the recording of a partition mutation in July 2021, even though the land had been under government use since 1963. He highlighted that an inflated consent award of Rs 3.62 crore had been issued for just three kanals of land, far exceeding the prevailing market value. Following these findings, Financial Commissioner (Revenue) Anurag Verma charge-sheeted Dharamkot Tehsildar Maninder Singh and Naib Tehsildar Gurdeep Singh for lapses in land demarcation and record verification. CM's technical advisor quits In a related development, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Manns technical advisor, Ravi Chawla, has resigned over alleged delays in clearing files related to development works. Chawla, who was appointed in June last year after retiring as Chief Engineer, was responsible for clearing technical estimates of works in various departments. Complaints had been received that files were pending with him for extended periods, delaying the execution of development works. It is learned that officials from different departments have now been instructed to clear estimates independently, as deadlines for various projects were not being met.