The BJP Government in Haryana which came to power with promises of probing the alleged land scams of previous Congress Government, on Wednesday refrained from giving any time-frame to complete such probes. As the issue of alleged land scams, once again, echoed in Haryana Vidhan Sabha, a verbal duel ensued between legislators of ruling and Opposition on Wednesday.
Amid blame game, the Atate Cabinet Ministers said that probe was being conducted into the release of land to the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) in Gurgaon and release of 912 acres of land in IMT Manesar for the acquisition process, albeit, the BJP Ministers kept dodging the questions from opposition INlD pertaining to the timeframe of these probes.
“The Government is examining whether there was any illegality in leasing out of around five acres of land to Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) in Gurgaon for setting up an eye hospital,” said OP Dhankar, while replying to a question in the assembly. The RGCT trustees include influential politicians like Congress chief and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi.
The Trust in 2009 had taken 5 acres and 3 marla of Panchayat land on lease in Ullahwas village of Gurgaon district to set up an eye hospital. The land was taken on lease at the rate of Rs3 lakh per acre with 5 per cent annual increase together with the stipulation that the hospital would be constructed within a period of two years of the lease.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its report in 2013 had found major irregularities in release of the land to the RGCT and had also rejected justifications of Haryana’s Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department for the release of land and for allowing change of land use (ClU) to the RGCT for setting up an eye hospital.
Dhankar informed the house the period for construction was extended up to January 7, 2017 on the request of the Trust. So far, shed of 1200 square has been constructed. When the land was given to Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust, the collector rate in that area was Rs16 lakh, the price of which has now gone up manifold, he added. Elaborating on the issue, OP Dhankar said, “That there was a time when private companies or trusts were given land under PPP mode or on lease which needs to be probed. Wherever the construction work is not done and the Gram Panchayats wants the land back, the Government will consider such cases.”
Replying to another question related to land acquisition, Haryana Industries and Commerce Minister, Captain Abhimanyu said matter was being examined whether undue benefits were given to land developers during the period of 2005 to 2014 during the release of 912 acres of land in IMT Manesar. Congress MlA Karan Dalal intervened saying that the Government should also conduct probe into the land given in Gurgaon to a trust run by Union Minister Maneka Gandhi. “Tum karo toh punya...hum karein toh paap,” said he while indicating alleged irregularities in the land allotment to the trust.
The INlD legislators, on the other hand, demanded to fix a timeframe into conducting the probe into alleged land scams. Responding to the opposition’s comments, Capt. Abhimanyu said that the Government is examining various cases of irregularities in land acquisition process. Without mentioning any specific time-frame fixed for conducting such enquiries, the Cabinet Minister added that the guilty will not be spared by the Government.