There is a mudslinging match going on between the current top bureaucrat in Himachal and his predecessors as the CP(M) leveled serious charges of disproportionate assets against the incumbent chief secretary and threatened state wide agitation if the Chief Secretary did not resign who in turn rebuffed all charges in a press conference stating that this was a conspiracy by former Chief secretaries and the bureaucratic lobby .
The Chester hill scam in Solan where permissions were given to influential people who used a shadow developer in violation of section 118 of the HP Tenancy & land Reform Act even when the then SDM raised a red flag on 13 Nov 2025 but was over ruled by the revenue secretary even when he was not the appellate authority.
The land was purchased in the name of a shadow developer Hans Raj Thakur who is a himachali agriculturalist from Mandi and the proceeds of the flat sales were siphoned off to the developers Singla & Arpit kumar Garg in violation of the act.
Moreover as per the SDM ‘s report Thakur purchased 275 bighas of land in Solan & Kasauli to the tune of 47 crores which did not reflect in his IT returns.
The JDA( joint development agreement) between Thakur & the developers was suddenly cancelled in Jan 2025 and was replaced by a GPA( general power of attorney) which the SDM termed as a “colourabe device intended to mask the illegal transfer of proprietory rights.”
Under pressure from the opposition mainly the CP(M )the government has now cancelled permissions to the project and initiated a fresh probe.
The chief secretary who set aside the report of the SDM stating that it was ” violative of the law,” said that he had nothing to do with this project and that permissions were given under the former Chief secretary Srikant Baldi when he was chairperson of RERA( Real estate regulatory authority) from 2020 to 2024.
He was succeeded by RD Dhiman in 2025 a former Chief secretary who was CS during the BJP government .
RERA is a regulatory body appointed in all states to give permission to big housing projects as per state norms and conditions.
Baldi has also been accused of distributing free apples worth 10 lakhs to various IAS & IPS officers across the country during his tenure at the cost of the state exchequer.
Benami land transactions bypassing the HP land Reform & Tenancy act 1972 at the behest of top bureaucrats of the state smacks of graft , vested interests & corruption at the top echelons of the bureaucratic ladder and needs to be nipped in the bud.
When three consecutive chief secretaries of a hill state are mired and sullied in land deals it does not augur well for the state and smacks of corruption at the highest level.
An ordinary person even if he is a bona fide himachali has to run from pillar to post to get permission under section 118 to make a house in himachal if he or she is not an agriculturalist while the rich & powerful are able to twist and evade the law as per their convenience.
Why was SDM Solan Poonam Bansal’s 25 page report on 118 violations by the Chester Hill Resort set aside by the revenue secretary when he was not the appellate authority and under whose behest & why was the government sleeping for 2 years till the violations were brought in public domain.These questions need to be answered.
It’s an accepted fact that corruption runs large amongst the political class but top bureaucrats being involved in shady & murky deals sets the clock back a long way.
