50 IAS-IPS officers bought land near proposed bypass:₹3200-crore project approved 16 months later; land value jumped 11 times

A major investment linked to IAS officers has surfaced during an investigation into immovable property returns (IPR) filed by officers in Madhya Pradesh. Around 50 officers from across the country jointly purchased agricultural land in Guradi Ghat village of Bhopal’s Kolar area on the same day. Dainik Bhaskar’s investigation found that the investors include not only MP cadre officers, but also IAS and IPS officers from Maharashtra, Telangana and Haryana cadres, along with officers posted in Delhi. The striking aspect is that just 16 months after the land deal, the ₹3200-crore Western Bypass project was approved through the same area. Ten months later, the land use was changed from agricultural to residential, causing prices to rise nearly 11 times. So far, no housing society has been registered for the project. As per rules, before any residential development begins, the land must either be transferred to a registered society or plots must be officially allotted. April 4, 2022: 2.023 Hectares Bought in One Day On April 4, 2022, 2.023 hectares of agricultural land were purchased through a single registry document. Fifty people jointly bought the land. The registry mentions a transaction value of ₹5.5 crore, while the official market value was recorded at ₹7.78 crore. In the IPR documents, the buyers described the purchase as an investment made by “like-minded officers.” However, records show that behind the 50 shares, there were actually 41 real buyers. August 31, 2023: Bypass Approved After 16 Months Sixteen months after the purchase, the state cabinet approved the Western Bypass project. According to the current alignment, the bypass passes just 500 metres away from the land. June 2024: Land Use Changed At the time of purchase, the land was classified as agricultural. In June 2024 — 10 months after the bypass approval — the land use was officially changed to residential. In 2022, the five-acre plot (around 2.17 lakh sq ft) was bought at nearly ₹82 per sq ft. After diversion in June 2024, the rate rose to around ₹557 per sq ft, taking the estimated value of the land to about ₹12 crore. Currently, land prices in the area are estimated between ₹2500 and ₹3000 per sq ft, pushing the total value of the same land to nearly ₹55 crore to ₹65 crore.