Non-existent assets listed for compensation
Hands of engineers detected
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 04 2012: Amidst the rising suspicion of non-existent assets/properties being listed during assessment of properties by PWD engineers for people affected by road expansion with an ulterior motive to inflate compensation amounts, it has been detected that some engineers inflated the compensation amount of a private individual whose standing properties were affected by land acquisition for expansion of Nagamapal road.

A reliable source informed that PWD engineers conducted an assessment of the standing properties affected by expansion of Nagamapal road from Kangjabi Leirak to Khoyathong sometime back.

The assessment was conducted by the PWD Imphal West Sub-Division II Executive Engineer, an Assistant Engineer and a Section Officer.

The three engineers submitted their assessment report to the Government on April 13 last year.

In the meantime, the Vigilance Commission, suspecting certain discrepancies in the assessment conducted by the engineers, registered a case and carried out a spot verification.

In the course of the spot verification, it was detected that the engineers were trying to swindle several lakhs of rupees by listing a number of non-existent properties over the residential plot carrying old, dag no 2453, new dag no 10228, old patta no 739 and new patta number 1552 at village no 90, Thangmeiband which belongs to one Laishram (O) Gambhini.

Standing properties of Laishram (O) Gambhini as per the assessment report submitted by the three engineers are pucca underground floor/basement (assessed value Rs 827387), first floor semi-pucca (assessed value Rs 451908), RCC staircase (assessed value Rs 28303), tile flooring (assessed value Rs 2553441) and water reservoir (assessed value Rs 57574) .

But all these structures/properties were found non-existent when the Vigilance Commission conducted a spot verification.

Subsequently, the Vigilance Director wrote to the Imphal West DC on September 5 last year to conduct re-assessment of the standing properties.

What is more surprising is that the same team of engineers who listed non-existent properties were deputed for the re-assessment exercise by an order issued by the PWD Imphal West Division II Executive Engineer last month, disclosed the source .

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