Resident deputy collector Shashikant Hadgal suspended

Land acquisition of NH 211: Distant lands shown near highway

Aurangabad, March 30:

Resident deputy collector Shashikant Hadgal has been suspended by the government for committing serious irregularities in the land acquisition process of NH 211. Under secretary to government AJ Shetty issued his suspension order. The order was received by the district administration on Wednesday morning.

In 2020, when Hadgal was a sub-divisional officer, a complaint was lodged against him with the divisional commissioner Sunil Kendrekar regarding irregularities in land acquisition in NH 211. The commissioner appointed an inquiry committee of divisional deputy commissioner Varsha Thakur, Dr Vijaykumar Phad and Dr Purushottam Patodekar. The committee reprimanded Hadgal in the inquiry report. Accordingly, the commissioner wrote to the government for a departmental inquiry of Hadgal. Meanwhile, in 2021, Hadgal was transferred to the post of resident deputy collector in Aurangabad.

He was transferred during the departmental inquiry and was found in trouble again. According to the report of the inquiry committee, Hadgal showed the lands of 19 farmers at Karodi on the highway and paid them an additional Rs 41.43 crore instead of Rs 4.90 crore. The government has issued suspension orders against him after some public representatives lodged complaints against him in recent months.

Rs 41 crore compensation case

An additional compensation of Rs 41.43 crore was paid by showing distant lands near the highway in the process of land acquisition of Dhule-Solapur National Highway No 211. One and a half years after receiving the report in this case, the government suspended Hadgal. The inquiry committee appointed in this case got information about the land acquisition transactions in 167 acres of land in four districts including Aurangabad, Jalna, Beed and Osmanabad and submitted the report to the divisional commissioner. The report blamed the then land acquisition officers and assistant officers in all the four districts. However, it is yet to be seen what action will be taken against the officials in connection with the irregularities in Jalna, Beed and Osmanabad.