Uttarakhand govt launches probe into 'irregularities' in sale of trust land in Dehradun

The Uttarakhand government has launched a probe into the alleged irregularities in sale of 20 acres of land in Dehradun's Dhaulas, which was allotted to the Sheikhul Hind Education Charitable Trust for educational purpose two decades ago, officials said on Thursday. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said the state will take over the land if any violations are found during the investigation. Dehradun District Magistrate Savin Bansal has formed a joint team led by Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) K K Mishra to investigate the matter. The team, comprising personnel from the revenue administration, forest department and police, has started inspecting and measuring the agricultural land in the Vikas Nagar area of Dhaulas village. ''The land was allotted for educational purposes. We are checking if the conditions of the allotment were followed and what the current status of the land is,'' Mishra said. Initial investigations suggest that the trust allegedly sold about 20 acres of agricultural land to 15 individuals in large plots. These buyers subsequently divided the land into smaller plots and sold them to 70-80 other people. The ADM noted that the trust was granted permission to sell land only on the condition that its status would remain agricultural and it would not be sold for non-agricultural use. The district administration plans to take legal action under the Zamindari Abolition Act after receiving a detailed measurement report. The Mussoorie-Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) has already demolished boundary walls and internal roads at the site, stating that the ''plotting'' was being carried out without any approval of maps. The MDDA has also installed notice boards in the area warning the public against investing in illegal plots and advising them to verify details with the authority before any purchase. The land was originally allotted in 2004 during the tenure of the then Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari. The site is located 10 kilometres from the Indian Military Academy (IMA). Chief Minister Dhami said the land was provided during the Congress regime, alleging that it revealed an intention to establish a ''Muslim University''. He reiterated that the administration has been directed to conduct a thorough probe and take over the land if any irregularities are found. The ruling BJP has been demanding that the government seize the property. BJP MLA and the party's state spokesperson Vinod Chamoli recently met the Chief Minister to urge the cancellation of the allotment, citing security concerns for the IMA due to the proximity of the proposed minority educational institutions.