The Gautam Budh Nagar district administration has ordered an inquiry into the allotment of public utility land to 59 people through fraudulent means.

Deepak Aggarwal, Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate, said 20 hectare in Dungarpur village was allegedly allotted to some people on ‘patta’.

“Once a person is given land rights, even government land, they cannot be revoked easily. There is a proper procedure for this and only the judiciary has the power to revoke land rights of persons who have been issued land on patta,” the DM said.

He said he saw the file concerning the wrongly allotted land some 10 days ago. Aggarwal, appointed to the post on February 9 earlier this year, said out going District Magistrate Shravan Kumar had also pointed it out to him.

“I have already told my office to look in to the matter. As per revenue records, the land is earmarked for public utility and cannot be allotted on patta,” he said.

The land was allegedly given on patta fraudulently in 1995. “In March that year, the land was allotted to 59 members of the Land Management Society, when the area was under Bulandshahr district,” Aggarwal said.