Chandigarh, Sept. 22 -- The Punjab public works department (PWD) has chargesheeted a 2014-batch Punjab Civil Service (PCS) officer and called for a vigilance bureau (VB) investigation into the alleged irregularities surrounding a Rs.3.7-crore land acquisition for a National Highway-703 project. The case involves Charumita, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of Moga, who was serving as the Moga sub-divisional magistrate at the time. The controversy centres on land located along the Dharmkot-Shahkot stretch, which was originally acquired in 1963 by the PWD (B&R), Ferozepur, for road construction. Despite this land being in continuous use for public purposes for more than five decades, a change of land use (CLU) was granted in 2022 for commercial purposes. The approval allowed the land to be re-designated for non-agricultural use, even though it had been part of an active road for over 50 years. The land, which became part of the National Highway-703 project, had previously been transferred to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). During a 2014 widening project under the National Highways Act, 1956, the land was "re-acquired". However, the 2019 compensation award for Rs.3.7 crore was based on a claim that the land had been newly acquired, even though the land had been in use since 1963. The compensation was granted without verifying the original acquisition records. The irregularities surfaced when the awardee approached the Punjab and Haryana high court, seeking enhanced compensation for the land. While responding to the court's notice, it was found that crucial records from 1963 were missing, raising doubts about the validity of the claims and the subsequent approval process. In a report submitted to the high court, the Ferozepur DC, who was appointed by the court as an inquiry officer, flagged significant lapses in how the land was evaluated, demarcated and processed by the revenue staff in Moga. Notably, contradictory demarcation reports were issued between 2021 and 2025, and a partition mutation was recorded in July 2021, even though the land had been in government use since 1963. Principal secretary to the chief minister and the PWD Ravi Bhagat, in his observations in a letter (a copy of which is with HT) on 17 September noted that contradictory demarcation reports were issued between 2021 and 2025 and a partition mutation dated July 29, 2021, was recorded, even though the land had been part of a functioning road since 1963. Further, an inflated consent award of Rs.3.62 crore was issued for just three kanals of land - significantly higher than the prevailing market rate. The issue escalated when it was discovered that Charumitra, the then Moga SDM, had failed to follow due process in approving the compensation and CLU. Though Charumita did not respond to requests for comment, officials aware of the matter said she had been chargesheeted for her alleged role in the case. When contacted, Bhagat declined to comment, saying the matter is sub judice. However, officials privy to the matter confirmed that Charumita's role came under scrutiny after it emerged that due process had not been followed in granting the award. In the wake of the findings, the PWD has directed the revenue department to locate the missing 1963 acquisition records and verify the extent of land that had already been acquired by the government. This includes checking the land's status during the initial acquisition in 1963 and subsequent re-alignment changes carried out by NHAI in 2014. As part of the investigation, the VB has been asked to probe the actions of all officials involved, including those responsible for the award and the CLU approval, to determine if any procedural lapses or deliberate misconduct occurred. This investigation will also examine the role of other revenue and PWD officials involved in the land acquisition process, as well as those who signed off on the incorrect records....