Chandigarh: In more trouble for chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, PunjabLokpal on Tuesday


ordered an inquiry into an alleged land grab complaint filed against him and his ministerial colleague Ranjit Singh Brahmpura.

The inquiry was ordered on a petition filed by an NGO here which alleged that 282 acres of common land at Badaphul village in Ropar district of the state was illegally taken over by the two.

The NGO alleged that Badal in connivance with Brahmpura ignored the state government's notification of 2007 that village common land cannot be sold to anyone or it cannot be transferred in anyone's name.

Badal took the land in its possession and planted popular and other crops on it in violation of rules and regulations, the NGO alleged.

The Lokpal recorded the statements and evidence given by the NGO to support its contention. It asked its IG to inquire into the complaint and file a report by December 20.

Meanwhile, Badal was not available for comment. Party sources said that they will not speak on the issue till the inquiry is completed.

In September, the Lokpal had ordered inquiry into allegations of irregularities against Badals in plying of private buses in Punjab while in August the ombudsman ordered a probe into a complaint on "illegal occupation" of prime government land in Kapurthala district by former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Jagir Kaur allegedly at the behest of the CM.