The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has filed an FIR against officials of the Bhopal Development Authority (BDA) in connection with corruption related to the land allocation process for the Inter-State Bus Terminal Scheme. The case involves the illegal allocation of land in violation of rules, followed by an unlawful change in land use, turning it into a commercial property. The accused include Hemant Katare, Yogesh Katre and other partners from Mesars High Speed Motors, who were allegedly given undue benefits through an improper process, bypassing the required tender procedure. These actions came to light after a complaint was filed by C R Dutta, a resident of Harshvardhan Nagar, Bhopal, which led to an investigation by the EOW.

 

The investigation revealed that the BDA officials, in collusion with Mesars High Speed Motors, allocated the land to the company in violation of the established norms. Furthermore, the land’s usage was illegally converted to commercial purposes, and the plot’s price was determined in a manner that unfairly benefited the company. After a detailed inquiry, it was found that the BDA officials, including the then CEO K P Rahi, OSD Manoj Verma and other individuals, conspired with the partners of Mesars High Speed Motors. They abused their official positions to allocate land, alter its use, and fix the land price to provide undue advantage to the company. As a result, charges under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 471 (using forged documents), and 13(2) along with 13(1)(D) of the Prevention of Corruption Act have been filed against the BDA officials and the partners of Mesars High Speed Motors.