Why Was a Survey Inspector Arrested in TN's Parandur Airport Bribery Case?
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Chennai, Feb 11 (NationPress) A survey inspector from the Revenue Department in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu was apprehended by the District Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) division for allegedly soliciting and accepting a bribe from a farmer concerning land acquisition for the envisioned Parandur Greenfield Airport project, as reported by an official on Wednesday.
The individual, Sundara Vadivelu, aged 50, residing in Tirukalimedu, was part of a team responsible for verifying land documents and processing compensation claims for property owners impacted by the airport initiative.
This ambitious airport project is set to span approximately 4,800 acres across 15 villages, including Parandur and Ekanapuram, where land acquisition activities are currently ongoing.
As per DVAC officials, the complainant, Ranjith Kumar, a farmer from Kullappan Street in the Kancheepuram district, voluntarily offered 64 cents of his land for the project and submitted a petition requesting compensation from the government.
During the document verification in Parandur ‘A’ Area 4, the survey inspector reportedly demanded Rs 1 lakh to expedite the file clearance and facilitate the compensation release.
Reluctant to comply with the bribe demand, the farmer approached the DVAC and filed a formal complaint with Deputy Superintendent of Police Kalaiselvan.
In response, vigilance officials instructed the farmer to agree to an initial payment of Rs 50,000 and assure the inspector that the remaining sum would be settled post the compensation process.
Following protocol, the vigilance team treated the currency notes with chemical powder and set up a trap.
At approximately 10 p.m. on Tuesday, as the farmer handed over Rs 50,000 to the inspector in the Chengazhu Neeroda area of Kancheepuram, officers monitoring the transaction intervened and apprehended the official red-handed.
The suspect was then taken to the DVAC office in the Velligate area for further questioning. A case has been filed against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and he has been placed in judicial custody.
Officials stated that further investigations are ongoing to ascertain if similar bribe demands have been made to other farmers whose properties are being acquired for the proposed airport project.