Anti-graft outfit seeks probe into IAS, IPS land deals linked to Bhopal bypass project

An anti-corruption organisation in Madhya Pradesh has sought a high-level probe into alleged land purchases by senior IAS and IPS officers near the proposed Rs 3,200-crore Bhopal Western Bypass project, claiming the value of the plots rose sharply after the project received approval.

The System Parivartan Abhiyan has written to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav demanding cancellation of the 35-km bypass project and alleging that its alignment was altered multiple times to benefit bureaucrats.

SPA president Azad Singh Dabas alleged that the project was being used to provide financial gains to senior officials.

“Our crusade against corruption is a campaign for administrative, judicial, police and media accountability,” Dabas told PTI.

Land bought before project approval: SPA

According to the organisation, media reports claimed that around 50 IAS and IPS officers from different states jointly purchased 2.023 hectares of agricultural land in Guradi Ghat village in Bhopal’s Kolar area through a single registry document dated 4 April 2022.

SPA alleged that the land was bought for around Rs 5.5 crore even though its market value at the time was estimated at Rs 7.78 crore.

The state government approved the Western Bypass project on 31 August 2023, nearly 16 months after the land transaction, the organisation said.

According to Dabas, the land use was subsequently changed from agricultural to residential in June 2024, leading to a steep rise in prices.

“The value of the land has increased exponentially from around Rs 5.5 crore in 2022 to nearly Rs 55-60 crore now,” he alleged.

‘Alignment changed three times’

The anti-graft outfit further alleged that the alignment of the bypass was changed three times, but the proposed route continued to pass close to the land parcels allegedly purchased by the officers.

SPA questioned the necessity of the project, arguing that Bhopal’s Eastern Bypass already manages the city’s transit traffic.

“It appears the road project is being constructed unnecessarily to provide financial benefit to IAS and IPS officers,” Dabas alleged.

The organisation also claimed that some officers from the 2013 to 2016 batches allegedly purchased land in the names of their wives and children and that certain constructions in Bhopal violated existing rules.

SPA has demanded a high-level inquiry into the land transactions and urged the state government to scrap the bypass project to prevent what it termed “unnecessary expenditure of public money”.