NEW DELHI: They are lobbyists, powerbrokers and kings of red tape. Delhi’s elite babus take decisions that swing thousands of crores. Their decisions impact around 1.75 crore Delhiites. Ironically their own property is worth a pittance. The Sunday Standard found out immovable property details of these bureaucrats from records submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The man who epitomises the ideals of a fakir is Keshav Chandra, special secretary to the Delhi Chief Minister (CM). He is an officer of the 1995 batch of Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT), and owns no immovable property, as per his immovable property returns (IPR) filed at the PMO. He seems to be the most frugal officer, not even taking advantage of officers welfare societies.
Deepak Mohan Spolia, secretary at the finance department and a man in charge of the `28,000 crore budget of the Delhi government, only owns a plot of land at Indralok colony in Lucknow. It was purchased in 1985 for `50,000 (present value is around `30 lakh), stated Spolia in his IPR.
Parimal Rai, who holds the key post of secretary at the power department, owns a four-room deluxe flat in Nehru enclave, Lucknow, worth a measly `6.23 lakh, according to his IPR declaration. But Rai sought a refund from the Lucknow Development Authority, as it offered a flat different from the one mentioned in the allotment letter. The authority refunded only `4,98,105. His family also owns a 184 sq m plot in Ghaziabad, in the name of his wife Parul Rai, for which a sum of `2.46 lakh (and `22,120 as annual lease rent) was paid. The property was found unsuitable and was sold for `3.40 lakh, stated Rai in his IPR.
Delhi’s ‘water man’ Ramesh Negi, in charge of Delhi Jal Board (DJB), the water supply department, is slightly better off. Negi owns an eight bigha apple orchard with a family house in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Negi has stated that the property is a gift from his mother, and accrues an annual rent of `50,000. He also owns a 300 sq m plot at civil officer’s welfare society in Greater Noida, whose present value is not mentioned in IPR. He had bought the land for `8.5 lakh. Among his other properties are 576 sq m land in Dharmshala, Himachal Pradesh, which he purchased for `41,000 in 1992.
Pravin K Tripathi, chief secretary (CS), is probably Delhi’s most affluent bureaucrat. He owns a flat at Aditi Apartment, Patparganj, whose value is stated to be `95 lakh. He holds the property jointly with his wife, and the annual rent accrued from it is `1.44 lakh. Tripathi also owns 31 acres of land and orchards at Jangaon, Sonikpur, valued at `1.65 crore. The orchard is held jointly with his brother, who has 50 per cent ownership. It’s an ancestral property, which earns an annual rent of `3.5 lakh. He also owns a 240 sq m plot in Gautam Budh Nagar, Noida. The price of allotment is `2.04 lakh and the present value of property is `95 lakh. It is held in the name of his wife. He also constructed a house after taking a loan of `5 lakh. The annual income from this property is `1.44 lakh. Tripathi also owns a 200 sq m plot in Vrindavan, Lucknow, whose purchase price is `5,27,520, as per his IPR declaration. The present value of the property is `20 lakh, which is held in the name of his wife.
Rajesh Prasad is the the land manager of the state of Delhi, and controls land spread over 1,400 sq m, but his personal land holdings are measly. This Commissioner of land management, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), owns a residential house on a three acre plot in Bommerabettu Village, Udupi, valued currently at `15 lakh. It is held jointly with his brother and sister, and was acquired through a government grant in 1974 and 1982. He has stated that annual income from the property is `75,000. Prasad also owns a 500 sq m plot at Salacete Taluka in South Goa, whose present value is `10 lakh, which he purchased for `1.5 lakh in 2001. He has another two-bedroom middle income group (MIG) flat in Peergarhi, West Delhi, whose present value is `80 lakh. He stated that the flat was was acquired through DDA allotment in 2004 for `9.92 lakh. The property earns him an annual rent of `1.26 lakh.
Rakesh Behari, principal secretary to the Lt. Governor of Delhi owns an apartment in Patparganj. His apartment is located in Aditi Apartments group housing flat, IP Extension. Behari stated in his return that the present value of his property is `3,88,512 as per cost paid to the cooperative housing society. The flat is jointly held with his wife, who is also an IAS now working as joint secretary, Ministry of Coal. Their annual income from this property is `1.33 lakh.
The man lording over Delhi’s education department is Rakesh Mohan, who is currently posted as principal secretary in the department of education. Mohan owns flat at a housing society in Gurgaon in the name of his wife whose name he has not stated. He acquired the flat through Vikas CGHS membership and has rented it for `27,100 per month. He also owns a dwelling unit, on a 500 sq m plot (E-15) in Greater Noida. He has stated that the circle rate in the area is `14,000 per sq m. He owns property in his and his wife’s name. He acquired the property through civil services officers’ welfare society, and it earns him a rent of `6,000 per month.
Sudipta Ray, secretary to Tejender Khanna, Lt. Governor of Delhi, owns a residential house on plot number 1640, Sector 6, Cuttack development authority (CDA) colony, Bindasi, Cuttack, Orissa. He said that he has acquired the plot on long lease from the CDA.
Rakesh Mehta retired as Delhi CS earlier this year, and took over as the state election commissioner. He owns a 350 sq yard plot in Greater Noida, on which he built a house by taking a loan of `8 lakh. He has stated that the present value of the property, which he holds jointly with wife Sumati Mehta is around `3 lakh. In Delhi, he owns the first and second floor of a property in Pushpanjali, Delhi. He also has joint ownership of a plot with a flat with sister-in-law Manjiri Mehta. Its stated value is `10 lakh at present. Every month he earns `17,000 as rent from the first floor and `12,000 from the second floor.
M M Kutty is part of the inner circle of Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit by virtue of the chair he holds, that of principal secretary. But as far as his property holdings go, he is not a so lucky. Kutty owns an inheritance of 0.19 acres in Pallikera village of Kerala. Its present value is `5 lakh. He also owns a flat in Sector 22, Dwarka, which is valued at `25 lakh, and earns him annual rent of `17,500.