The Revenue and Land Reforms Department of Bihar has taken disciplinary action against 10 more officials, including the Patna City deputy collector land reforms (DCLR), on charges of corruption and negligence in duty. During a departmental review meeting on Friday, minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal took decisive action by approving punitive measures, framing departmental chargesheets and initiating disciplinary proceedings against ten officials.
Suspension Recommended for Patna City DCLR
This included recommending the suspension of Patna City DCLR Abhilasha Sinha on charges of accepting a bribe of Rs 15 lakh through a middleman to dispose of a mutation appeal case. The department has framed a chargesheet against her and sent a strong recommendation for her suspension to the general administration department.
Total 60 Officials Face Action in a Month
In total, strict punitive measures have been taken against 60 corrupt and negligent officials and employees within a month. Jaiswal emphasised that protecting public interests, ensuring transparency and providing timely services are the government’s top priorities.
Chargesheet Against Former Hajipur CO
A chargesheet has also been framed against Mukul Kumar Jha, the then circle officer (CO) of Hajipur, in a corruption case registered against him. Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against Neelkamal Kumar Sinha, assistant settlement officer of Aurangabad, for an unsuccessful attempt to bribe a senior headquarters official via online channels.
Other Officials Under Scrutiny
Vishwamitra Kharwar, the revenue officer (RO) of Runnisaidpur (Sitamarhi), faces allegations of demanding a bribe through an amin (land surveyor) and rejecting applications without evidence. Rahul Kumar, the CO of Kishanganj Sadar, has also landed in trouble for declaring government land as private holding and mishandling mutation processes without verifying land records.
Amit Kumar, the CO of Sampatchak (Patna), has faced disciplinary action for raising frivolous objections regarding mutation, forcing the public to make repeated office visits for land measurement reports, and delaying the record correction process.
Action has been initiated against Dheeraj Kumar, former CO of Kurhani, Muzaffarpur, and Ranjeet Kumar, additional district land acquisition officer, Banka, for negligence of duty and providing misleading information.
Pushpalata Kumari, CO of Samastipur, has been penalized with the withholding of a salary increment due to irregularities in mutation, while a chargesheet has been framed against Narmada Srivastava, CO of West Champaran/Bagaha-1, for flouting court orders and causing revenue loss.
