Lokayukta Manmohan Sarin has issued notices to the state revenue department, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi state government, Delhi state industrial and Infrastructure development corporation (DSIIDC) in a land scam involving hundreds of crores of rupees.
“Suraj Park colony, situated at sector 18 in Rohini was regularised two times. Its name figures in the list of unauthorised colonies at number 523 and also at number 1306. How can one colony be regularised two times? This has happened at the behest of local BJP MLA Jai Bhagwan Agarwal, who got a new RWA registered and submitted the lay out plans to the state government. Shockingly, the layout plan submitted by Agarwal shows a 15,000 square meter vacant land as land having plotted development. Hence, once the colonies are regularised, buildings and be constructed on this land,” said RTI activist Rajesh Garg who filed a complaint in this regard with the Lokayukta.
The process regularisation of colonies has opened a window for the politico-land shark-businessman nexus to earn hundreds or even thousands of crores. The process is simple—when the col ony is being approved, submit a layout map showing ‘vacant land’ as land having plotted development. Following which ‘manage’ key government officers to get the layout plan passed and own a land worth crores of rupees for free. Develop buildings and sell them. The Rohini incident is just one example of this nexus.
Suraj Park has a registered RWA named Suraj Park Residents Welfare Association (SPRWA) since 1978. This colony was allotted a provisional regularisation certificate in 2008 as colony number 523 on the basis of documents submitted September, 2008. The regularisation certificate bears the signature of Lt Governor of Delhi, Urban Development minister Raj Kumar Chauhan.
If one sees the layout plan submitted by the original RWA, the vacant plot of land is visible. But to grab land, Agarwal engineered a new RWA named Suraj Park Niwasi Kalyan Manch (SPNKM) and submitted a lay out plan showing that 15,000 sq meter vacant land as land having plotted development in January 2008. Hence, after the regularisation process is over, he and his associates can construct on that land and makes crores of rupees, said Garg. “How can one colony have two RWA’s and be regularised two times?,” asks Garg.
Garg believes that such a big scam cannot happen without the ‘co-operation’ of the architect, the patwari and officers in the urban development department and the state government. The plot of land is worth at least Rs 150 crore and after developing the same the revenue potential from that land will grow manifold. Officers of the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) stated in an RTI reply to Garg that they went ahead with regularisation process of the colony on the basis of lay out plan submitted by Agarwal. “Wasn’t it their duty to check the actual situation on ground before going ahead with the process?” Garg asked.
-Sunday Standard