Mainpat: Collector Orders FIR Over Sale of 3.46 Hectares of Government Land

Surguja Collector Ajit Vasant has ordered an FIR against five people in connection with the alleged sale of 3.46 hectares of government land at Kesra village in the Mainpat area, according to a report published on October 23.

The land is Khasra number 1378. A complainant had alleged that the plot, which is recorded as government land, was wrongly entered in the revenue records in the name of a private person and was then transferred by registry to other private persons. The Collector asked the Mainpat Tehsildar to inquire, and the FIR order followed the Tehsildar's report.

According to the inquiry report as described in the coverage, the rights record of 1954-55 ends at Khasra number 650, so number 1378 could not have appeared in it. The number is a renumbered one that first shows up in revenue papers in 1995-96. The report says an entry for the plot was later made in the older 1954-55 record in the name of a private person, and that the 1995-96 settlement still shows the land as government land in the "small jhad jungle" category.

The land then allegedly passed through a power-of-attorney holder and another seller before being registered to two buyers. Five persons have been named in the order. The report does not say what role each person had, and this article does not draw conclusions about their individual responsibility. All of those named are accused only on the basis of the inquiry and are entitled to a fair investigation and trial.

The Collector has directed the Mainpat Tehsildar to register the case, and a revenue officer is to remove the illegal entry from the revenue records. The coverage also notes that transfers of forest land are governed by the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and by Supreme Court directions.

Mainpat is one of the most visited hill destinations in Chhattisgarh, and land in and around it has risen in value with tourism. Cases like this have drawn attention to the need for careful checking of land records before purchase. Buyers are generally advised to verify the khasra number, the original record and the land category with the revenue office before completing a registry.

The police are expected to register the case and begin their investigation after the Tehsildar files it. Further developments, including any arrests or the correction of the records, will be reported once confirmed.